THE GAME AT A GLANCE
• Nick De Santis will coach his 100th regular season game as the head coach of the Montreal Impact. His record is 58 wins, 18 losses and 23 ties. De Santis was finalist for the USL D1 Coach of the Year award in the last three seasons at the helm of the Impact and won the award in 2005.
• With a win, the Impact could move into first place overall in USL D1 standings, tied with Vancouver at 17 points.
• Charles Gbeke (3), Leonardo Di Lorenzo (2), Martin Fabro (2), Matthew Palleschi (2) and Frederico Moojen have scored for the Impact so far this season.
• For the fourth time in club history, the team is undefeated in its first six games of the season. The club had previously achieved this feat in 1998 (6-0), 2004 (5-0-1) and 2005 (4-0-2).
• The Impact is also the only team in the league that has not been shut out this season.
• Defender Gabriel Gervais and midfielder Antonio Ribeiro are currently with the Canadian national team for the next CONCACAF Gold Cup, from June 6 to 24. The two players joined the team Sunday, in Miami, then left for Venezuela on Wednesday to play an exhibition game today. In the preliminary round, Canada will face Costa Rica June 6, Guadeloupe, June 9, and Haiti, June 11. Both players will miss a minimum of three games, all held at home.
• Goalkeeper Matt Jordan should start a seventh straight game for the Impact. He is unbeaten in six starts (4-0-2, Ave. 0,833).
• Since 1993, the year Vancouver joined the league (the 86ers eventually became the Whitecaps), the Impact has a 19-7-3 regular season lifetime record against its Canadian rivals.
• It is the rematch game between the two teams since the Impact lost in last year’s playoff semi-final. The Whitecaps had won 2-0 in aggregate goals (0-0 in Vancouver and 0-2 in overtime in Montreal), before winning the league finale 3-0 against Rochester.
• Last year, during the regular season, the Impact tied the Whitecaps 1-1 at home, July 7, and shut out the Caps 1-0 in Vancouver, August 10.
• It is the first of two match-ups between both clubs this season. The Impact will face the Whitecaps in Vancouver on August 18.
THE OPPONENT
• This is the ninth game of the season for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
• The Caps were unbeaten in their first seven games (5-0-2) before losing their last match, at home on May 25, 1-0 against the Carolina RailHawks.
• Midfielder Martin Nash will miss Friday’s game against his former team since he is currently with the Canadian national team for the next CONCACAF Gold Cup.
• There are eight newcomers with the Whitecaps this season: goalkeepers Richard Goddard (Toronto, USL D1) and Tyler Baldock (Carson-Newman College, NCAA), defenders Narcisse Tchoumi (Cameroon), Graham Smith (University of British Columbia), Nigel Marples (Towson University, NCAA) and Lyle Martin (Bakersfield University, NCAA), midfielder Jason McLaughlin (Montreal, USL D1), as well as forward Joel Bailey (Montreal, USL D1).
• Are no longer with the team: goalkeeper Josh Wicks (Portland, USL D1), defenders Geordie Lyall (Wallsall, England D4), Josh Jones (released), Anthony Noreiga (released) and Ryan Suarez (released), and forwards Sita-Taty Matondo (Montreal, USL D1), Gary Brooks (released) and Corey Woolfolk (released).
ON ANOTHER NOTE
• The Impact invites fans to participate in the PROCURE Walk of Courage, Saturday June 16, with former Impact player Lloyd Barker, as well as members from the Montreal Canadiens and Alouettes, to fight against prostate cancer. For more information, visit www.procure.ca.
• To celebrate Sainte-Justine Hospital’s Centennial, a mini soccer match will be held Saturday at 11 am, at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex, during which more than twenty children with diabetes will play against Impact players.
• Impact players Charles Gbeke, David Fronimadis, Massimo Di Ioia and Nevio Pizzolitto will participate in Opération Enfant Soleil’s 20th edition telethon, Sunday, at Le Capitole de Québec. The players will be present at the Place D'Youville from noon to 2 pm to meet fans and sign autographs.
PRE-GAMES COMMENTS
HEAD COACH NICK DE SANTIS (GAME AGAINST VANCOUVER)
“It will be a battle for first place in the standings. We want to have a good result to improve our position. The Whitecaps are very organized defensively and they can score goals. They are always dangerous around the net. We will have to be cautious and disciplined on defense tomorrow.”
HEAD COACH NICK DE SANTIS (ON HIS 100th GAME)
“It’s a milestone that I’m happy to reach and I would like the team to win but tomorrow it will be a game like all other games. We will bring the same mentality and try to win every home game. I learned a lot from the different coaches I had during my career. With Bob (Lilley), over the past years, we kept similar ideas but we have different styles.”
MIDFIELDER PATRICK LEDUC
“Even if we have many new players on our line-up, a fair number were here last year and still have in mind our playoff loss. We will try to correct the error by getting three important points in the standings. We are well prepared and we are ready for this game.”
OUT OF THE LINE-UP
Player - Position – Injury – Status – Games missed
Mauro Biello Midfielder Hamstring Uncertain 1
Nevio Pizzolitto Defender Knee Approx. 1 month 6
Jason DiTullio Defender Knee Return unknown 6
Shaun Tsakiris Midfielder Groin Return unknown 6
NEXT GAMES
• Tuesday June 5 - Minnesota @ Impact - Claude-Robillard Sports Complex – 7 pm (CJAD 800, USLlive.com)
• Friday, June 8 – Portland @ Impact – Claude-Robillard Sports Complex – 8 pm (Télévision de Radio-Canada, FSW, Sirius, CJAD 800, USLlive.com)
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Source: Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info: 514-328-3668, ext. 27
