MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact announced on Sunday that the club has re-acquired Canadian goalkeeper John Smits on short-term loan from NASL club FC Edmonton.
He will serve as backup goalkeeper for the Champions League final against Mexican side Club América, on April 22 at 9pm EDT (TVA Sports, CJAD 800) at Estadio Azteca, as well as the decisive leg at Olympic Stadium on April 29 (ticketmaster.ca).
“We are very pleased to be able to count on John again for the finals,” said Impact technical director Adam Braz. “Once again we’d like to thank FC Edmonton for their collaboration.”
Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau currently has a shoulder injury, while teammate Eric Kronberg is ineligible for the tournament after having played in it with Sporting Kansas City.
Smits, 26, has started 35 games in three seasons with FC Edmonton in the NASL, winning the Golden Glove award as the NASL’s top keeper in 2014, after finishing the season with an average of 0.90 goals against, the best in the league. He started 20 of 27 matches with a record of 6-9-5 and six shutouts last season.
Smits will join the team in Mexico on Monday to prepare for Wednesday’s matchup at Estadio Azteca.
JOHN SMITS
Position: Goalkeeper
Number: 30
Height: 6’4
Weight: 185 lbs.
Date of birth: September 7, 1988, Mississauga, Ontario
Citizenship: Canada
Previous Club: FC Edmonton (NASL)
Acquired: April 19, 2015
