ST.PETERSBURG, Florida – The Montreal Impact will play its first preseason game of the Rowdies Suncoast Invitational, this Wednesday at 7pm, at Al Lang Stadium in St.Petersburg, against New York City FC. The game will be streamed live on impactmontreal.com
After facing the New York Red Bulls in Orlando and FC Montreal at Olympic Stadium in preparatory matches, the Impact will play its first true preseason game in a traditional 90-minute format.
“We will use two different and well-balanced lineups for each half,” said Montreal Impact head coach Mauro Biello. “The players will have a chance to show what they can do and prove that they have their place as starters.”
“Preseason is never easy because you are trying to get back in shape and find your rhythm,” added Impact midfielder Calum Mallace. “We can see that the adjustments and the chemistry are coming back. The next two weeks will allow us to see where we are, but will also give us an idea about the other teams. We will put into practice the principles we’ve been working on in training.”
The Bleu-blanc-noir held a training session Tuesday morning in preparation for the game. It was also newcomer Harry Shipp’s first contact on the field with his new teammates.
“This trade was a surprise, but the best thing to do was to join my new team as quickly as possible and I’m very excited to be here,” said Shipp. “I’m just trying to absorb as much information as possible right now. I think this will be a great fit for me on this team. I hope to make the most of this new chapter in Montreal.”
After Wednesday’s match-up, the Impact will face D.C. United this Saturday at 4pm, Toronto FC on Wednesday, February 24, at 4pm, and finally the Tampa Bay Rowdies, on Saturday, February 27, at 7pm.
The Montreal Impact will play its opening match of the 2016 season in Montreal on Saturday, March 12 at 4pm at Olympic Stadium against the defending regular season champions New York Red Bulls. The Impact plays its season opener the previous Sunday, March 6, against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place, at 5:30pm ET (RDS, TSN).
