April 23, 2006
Do things tend to get heated under the Florida sun?” La Presse’s Sophie Allard asks a legitimate question. The Impact picks up a draw at Miami FC on that Sunday afternoon, and while no goals are scored, a whopping 32 fouls are committed. Both teams struggle to keep their cool – it’s hot out there, you know? Players raise their voices and get tangled up – Zé Roberto suffers a cut under his eye, and Masahiro Fukasawa leaves the game with an ankle knock. Still, the Bleu-blanc-noir holds strong, and Greg Sutton keeps his 59th clean sheet for the club. “Miami were playing against the top defence in the league, and we showed them as much,” says head coach Nick De Santis. Indeed: his men would go on to concede only 15 goals in 28 regular season games.
April 25, 2010
These days, in MLS, the Impact and the Portland Timbers cross paths once per year. Back in the second division, they would play each other twice, three times, maybe even more. In 2009, as the Bleu-blanc-noir marched toward a championship, it suffered three shutout losses against the Timbers, recalls La Presse’s Pascal Milano. Out for revenge, the Impact hosts Portland for its home opener – and it almost gets caught again. But centre back Nevio Pizzolitto, the new team captain, has other plans. When Kirk Quavas fouls Roberto Brown in the area in the 81st minute, Pizzolitto steps up. He converts the penalty kick, and the Impact salvages a 1-1 tie in front of a sellout crowd.
