Montreal Impact – New York Red Bulls
Saturday, July 28, 2012 – 7:30pm (ET)
Stade Saputo, Montreal
Broadcast: TVA Sports, CJAD 800
Also available on: illico web, illico mobile, MLS Live
MONTREAL, Quebec – The Montreal Impact (7-13-3) will face the New York Red Bulls (11-5-5) for the third and final time this season on Saturday at 7:30pm (ET), at Stade Saputo. For the first time in MLS, the Impact will play in front of a sellout crowd at Stade Saputo.
New York took the first two games 5-2 on March 31 at Red Bull Arena, and then 2-1 at Olympic Stadium on May 19. French forward Thierry Henry scored his first career hat trick in MLS in the first matchup, but missed the second one due to injury.
WATCH: Preview vs NY
Quotes
“The game against New York will be a tough one as they are in first place in our conference,” said Impact head coach Jesse Marsch. “They have a lot of great players and it will be an important test for us. We talked a little bit about limiting Thierry Henry because he is an important guy for them.”
“We’ve had a good week of training and a good game against Olympique Lyonnais, so we’ll be ready for New York,” said Impact midfielder Justin Mapp. “We know they beat us twice already, so this third time we can go out there and make it right. But it’s going to be tough as they have a lot of proven goal scorers. We will have to be disciplined.”
The Impact is coming off of 1-1 draw to French Ligue 1 powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais on Tuesday, in its first ever international matchup since joining MLS. Andrew Wenger (3G), who saw his first action in over a month due to a hamstring injury, scored for the Impact.
“We have to defend collectively and get hard into our tackles,” said Impact forward Andrew Wenger. “Our supporters have been fantastic so far at Stade Saputo and I don’t expect anything less this Saturday. We’ve been looking for them to help us out all season. Their support is huge for us.”
Team news
In regular season play, the Impact lost its last game 3-0 to the Houston Dynamo on the road last Saturday, but the club is on a two-game winning streak at home in MLS play, both coming by 2-1 scores. The first was against the Columbus Crew on July 8, with goals by defender Zarek Valentin, his first career marker, and midfielder Patrice Bernier. Then on July 18, Bernier (6G, 5A) added to his totals, and Sanna Nyassi scored the winner against the New England Revolution, improving the club’s overall home record to 6-3-2.
Bernier has now scored a goal in each of the last three home games, and leads the team with four goals at Stade Saputo.
Former AC Milan defender Alessandro Nesta made his debut for the Impact against OL and will be available for Saturday’s contest. Fellow defenders Nelson Rivas and Matteo Ferrari also saw action against Olympique Lyonnais, and will both be available for the match following injuries that have sidelined them for over a month.
About the Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls’ star forward Thierry Henry is coming off an appearance in the MLS All-Star game that was held on Wednesday, a 3-2 win for the MLS versus Champions League winners Chelsea FC. Henry played 56 minutes and set up the first goal with a cross to San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski. New York’s other forward, Kenny Cooper, has scored 13 goals this season and was added to the inactive all-star roster by the league.
The club announced on Thursday that it has signed Australian midfielder Tim Cahill as a Designated Player. Cahill will join the Red Bulls’ roster pending receipt of his P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate. Cahill, a player who has featured as an attacking midfielder and forward during his career, comes to New York after an illustrious career with English Premier League side, Everton FC, where he had played since 2004. He made 278 appearances for the Toffees, scoring 68 goals over eight seasons with the club.
Earlier this month, the Red Bulls also acquired French forward Sébastien Le Toux from the Vancouver Whitecaps FC for Jamaican winger Dane Richards. Le Toux has scored once since joining the Red Bulls and added an assist in three games played. Another newcomer who has played in the team’s last three games is goalkeeper Bill Gaudette. He played nine games with the Impact in 2011, registering a record of two wins, five losses and two ties, as well as four shutouts.
Since both players have joined the New York club, the Red Bulls are undefeated, winning twice in three games at home, including a 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union last Saturday. Cooper scored both goals in that game.
However, the Red Bulls lost their last game on the road 2-0 to the New England Revolution back on July 8, bringing their road record to 4-5-2 for the season.
INJURY REPORT : OUT - F Bernardo Corradi (Left knee torn ACL), Zarek Valentin (ankle)
Upcoming match
The Impact looks to revenge a 2-1 road loss to the Philadelphia Union next Saturday at Stade Saputo, at 7:30pm. Individual tickets for games at Stade Saputo are available via the Admission Network. Three-game mini-season packages at Stade Saputo are now available, starting at $53, by calling 514-328-3668, via impactmontreal.com, or visit the Seat Store, located just behind the south grandstands. Special family and friend packages, as well as new student rates are also available.
On Sunday, the Impact and the Red Bulls were set to face off in Reserve League action, but the game has been rescheduled to Tuesday, August 21, at 1:30pm (ET).
Game Notes
- These teams faced each other for the very first time last year in a friendly game, on May 11, 2011. The Impact shut out the Red Bulls 1-0 at Stade Saputo.
- Forward Sanna Nyassi has scored four career goals against the Red Bulls, including one with the Impact. The Impact has a record of five wins, one loss and one tie when Nyassi starts a game at Stade Saputo.
- The Montreal Impact is currently first among MLS teams with seven goals on penalty kicks, 302 fouls committed and 68 offsides.
- Midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic played with the New York Red Bulls from 2007 to 2010. He registered two goals and five assists in 69 regular season games, including 33 starts.
- Defender Karl W. Ouimette played his first MLS career game, last Saturday in Houston, becoming the first player from the Impact Academy to participate in a regular-season game. He then started his first Impact game in the international game against Olympique Lyonnais.
