Honduran international has played in the competition with Olimpia and Houston
We all know now that the Impact’s 2020 season will start a little earlier than usual; Montreal was able to qualify for the Concacaf Champions League following its Canadian Championship title, which means that they’ll represent Canada at the continental tournament.
The Impact will only know its opponent on December 9, when the official draw is carried out in Mexico City. Here are the other teams the Impact may face in the first round.
For sporting director Olivier Renard and head coach Thierry Henry, it’ll be their first opportunity to showcase the work they carried out during the offseason. And their first addition, Romell Quioto, is no stranger to our version of the Champions League.
“It’s a great competition,” said forward Romell Quioto, speaking to Impact Media. “You get a chance to take on the best teams in the continent. We need to be prepared for it if we want to be at our best, because games are difficult in this tournament. I played in the Champions League with a few teams, so I know how good this competition can be.”
With Olimpia, he would make his first appearance in the Concacaf Champions League on August 5, 2014, against Alpha United, helping his team qualify to the quarterfinal, where they were eventually eliminated by Costa Rican club Herediano.
With the Houston Dynamo, Quioto helped the team win the US Open Cup and qualify to the CCL in 2019 and started all four games for the Texan club in the tournament before its eventual elimination at the hands of Mexican giants Tigres UANL.
Quioto will get to experience the magic of the tournament for a third time, this time north of the 45th parallel.
“I’m very excited,” added Quioto. “On a personal level, it’s a big opportunity. It’s a brand-new experience as well, so I’m doing everything on my end to be as prepared as possible. People have also told me Montreal is a beautiful city, so I’m looking forward to that.”
A technical player
In Quioto, Montreal Impact supporters can definitely expect a player who’s very comfortable on the ball. Through his years in MLS, Quioto has proven to be lethal on the wing, using his speed to gain an edge on defenders on the flanks before cutting in and wreaking havoc in the box, as he did so well in the clip below, scoring a second goal for Houston in the US Open Cup.
“I love having the ball,” explained Quioto. “That’s when my qualities stick out. I’m also fast, which is an important part of my game.”
