MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact announced on Friday that Mauro Biello has been named assistant coach of the club's first team, which will play its first MLS season in 2012.
Biello has been the team’s assistant coach in the North American Soccer League (NASL) since November 19, 2009, following a career that spanned 19 seasons as a professional player, 16 of which were with the Impact.
“I am very proud to follow the club to Major League Soccer,” said Biello. “This is an historic moment for the club and I am pleased to have the opportunity to help build the team for 2012. After being a part of the club’s evolution starting in 1993, I consider myself lucky to be a part of this new chapter.”
"Mauro Biello's commitment to this club has been monumental and he will be an incredible asset on and off the field as the Montreal Impact move into MLS,” said Impact head coach Jesse Marsch. “I am delighted that he will remain a member of the coaching staff."
In 389 career games and 28,076 minutes played with the blue and white, Biello scored 77 goals and added 67 assists for a total of 221 points (regular season, playoffs, and championship games). He ended his career as the club leader in games played, games started, minutes played, goals scored, assists, points, game-winning goals and shots on net.
Biello was also awarded the Giuseppe Saputo Award, given to the team’s MVP, four times (1997, 1998, 2001 and 2005), and he was selected five times to the league’s first all-star team, once as a second team all-star.
He helped the Impact win three playoff championships (1994, 2004, 2009), five regular season titles (1995, 1996, 1997, 2005 and 2006), and the Canadian championship in 2008.
He was also the last remaining player to don the Impact jersey from the 1993 inaugural season and was named the team captain from 2001 until his retirement.
Biello will join Preston Burpo who was named goalkeeper coach on October 3 and Mike Sorber who was named assistant coach two days later.
DEPARTURE OF GIL ORRIOLS JANSANA
The Impact also announced the departure of Gil Orriols Jansana, who was the physical performance manager with the first team since 2009. Orriols Jansana decided to return to his native Spain for personal reasons.
SCOUTING TRIPS
The Impact’s technical staff continue to travel abroad to evaluate talent. Impact head coach Jesse Marsch and assistant Mike Sorber have been in South America since Tuesday, sporting director Nick De Santis and assistant coach Mauro Biello will be in Portugal this weekend, while director of soccer operations Matt Jordan and goalkeeper coach Preston Burpo will be in the United States to attend the Big East College Championship in New York and the Atlantic College Championship in Cary. The entire technical staff will be back in Montreal early next week.
