MONTREAL - The Montreal Impact boarded a plane for Guadalajara on Wednesday morning to open the first stage of its preseason training camp. The team will spend 12 days in Mexico and take part in four exhibition games.
Assistant coach Mike Sorber is anxious to see the players in a different setting than that of the Marie-Victorin Sports Complex. According to the former midfielder, being out of Montreal will be good for the team. Even though the first few days of camp were important, the team trip will help build an identity.
“This will be an excellent opportunity for the guys to get to know each other,” he said. ‘They will be together before, during and after practice. They will spend a lot of time together as a team.”
The Montreal Impact will face off against Universidad de Guadalajara, this Sunday, in its first preseason game. Sorber, who played two seasons in the Mexican first division with Pumas UNAM, knows that this game will be a good first test for the team.
“This game will be good for the players, but also for the technical staff. We will get a chance to evaluate the players in a game situation. The main objective here is to develop the group and the feeling of unity.”
The club will also take on Mexican sides Estudiantes Tecos, Iteso and Atlas on January 24, 25 and 26, respectively.
More players invited to camp
Among the players selected in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft, Canadian forward Evan James (1st overall), defender Aaron Schoenfeld (2nd round) and Mexican defender Gienir Garcia, acquired in a deal with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in return for the discovery rights to Etienne Barbara, will also make their way to Guadalajara.
Three more international players were invited to take part in the Mexican tour. Young Columbians Daniel Arcila Villa and Juan José Peña, along with Francisco “Panchito” Mendoza, a 26-year-old Mexican midfielder who played 118 games with Chivas USA and four games in Mexcio’s first division, will take to the field in Guadalajara with the rest of the boys in blue.
