The club also handed out individual honours to defender Nevio Pizzolitto, who was named Defensive Player of the Year, to defender Mauricio Vincello, who received the Unsung Hero award, and to midfielders Lars Lyssand and Masahiro Fukasawa, who were co-recipients of the Newcomer of the Year award.
MAURO BIELLO: MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (GIUSEPPE-SAPUTO TROPHY)
> This is the fourth time in 12 seasons with the Impact that he wins the Team MVP award, after 1997, 1998 and 2001.
> Was selected to the First All-League Team — his sixth career all-league selection, which ties a USL record.
> Was the Impact’s leading scorer for the fifth time of his career following a production of nine goals and three assists for a total of 21 points in 2005.
>His nine goals are his second-best career total in the USL, after the 1998 season (11 goals). His 21 points are his third-best overall performance, after the 1998 (35 pts) and 1997 (26 pts) seasons.
> Continued to rewrite the Impact record book by scoring seven game-winning goals this season, becoming the club’s first-ever player to reach the 20,000 minutes played mark in a Montreal uniform, and by becoming the first player in club history to play in all of the team’s 28 games for the third time of his career. He remains the Impact’s all-time leading scorer with 65 goals and 60 assists.
> Head coach Nick De Santis: “Mauro scored some very important goals for us this season. He was a key member of the team with the way he carried himself on the field, his leadership and experience. He really did all he could to ensure a successful season.”
NEVIO PIZZOLITTO: DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
> In his 10th season with the Impact, earns this award for the first time at age 29.
> Was selected to the Second All-League Team for the second straight year.
> As a central defender, helped the Impact post the best defence in the USL D1, allowing only 15 goals in 28 games to tie the club record first set in 2004; and collecting a total of 16 shutouts, only three fewer than the club record set by Montreal last year.
> Was one of four Impact players to spend over 2,000 minutes on the field over the regular season, with a total of 2,030. Earned 23 starts, the highest total among the club’s defenders, tied with Mauricio Vincello, and good for second place behind Mauro Biello and Greg Sutton’s 24 starts.
> Head coach Nick De Santis: “ He was extremely effective and very dependable defensively all season. He was an intimidating force in the backfield for our opponents on top ofe being consistent all year long.”
MAURICIO VINCELLO: UNSUNG HERO AWARD
> In his sixth season in the USL, his second with the Impact, was one of four players to spend more than 2,000 minutes on the field during the regular season. Was the team’s busiest defender with a total of 2,072 minutes played.
> Earned 23 starts, the highest total among the club’s defenders, tied with Nevio Pizzolitto, and good for second place behind Mauro Biello and Greg Sutton’s 24 starts.
> Helped the Impact post the best defence in the USL D1, allowing only 15 goals in 28 games to tie the club record first set in 2004; and collect a total of 16 shutouts, only three fewer than the club record set by Montreal last year.
> Was the Impact’s leading scorer amongst defenders with two goals and three assists for a total of seven points.
> Head coach Nick De Santis : “He is a player that brought a lot to the table for us this year, but his hard work isn’t always recognized. On top of being an important element to us defensively because he plays smart, he once again was a huge support offensively on the left flank.”
LARS LYSSAND AND MASAHIRO FUKASAWA: NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR (tie)
> LARS LYSSAND played two seasons in the USL with the now defunct Syracuse Salty Dogs before joining the Impact this year. He brought stability and experience to the team.
> Spent 1,899 minutes of play on the field, the most among players who were new to the Impact. Earned 20 starts, making him one of seven players on the club to start 20 games or more this year.
> Scored one goal and added three assists.
> MASAHIRO FUKASAWA made his debut in the USL with the Impact after nine years in Japan’s J-League and a stint in the pro ranks in Argentina. Brought energy and speed to the midfield.
> Was the only Impact player, along with Mauro Biello, to play all of the team’s 28 games over the regular season.
> Was one of nine Montreal players to earn 15 starts or more (16) and played a total of 1,708 minutes, good for 8th place among Impact players in 2005.
> Scored one goal and added an assist.
> Head coach Nick De Santis : “Lars played with intensity throughout the year. He is a player who works hard and he is a good influence on the younger guys because of his strong work ethic. He really helped the team with his versatility, playing many different positions when we needed him. Masahiro brought a whole new dimension to the club with his speed and technical strengths on the right flank. He is a player with a lot of charisma, and the fans adopted him very quickly.”
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Source: Patrick Vallée
Info: 514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
