Impact will kick off 2012 MLS season at Olympic Stadium, as Stade Saputo project delayed 18 Jul 2011 In a pre-game press conference Sunday afternoon, Impact President Joey Saputo and Richard Legendre, Executive VP of the Impact and Saputo Stadium, announced modifications to both the schedule of activity and the design parameters of the upcoming expansion to the team’s home field. Disappointed in the offers received for the initial tendering of contracts for the project, Saputo told the media that in order to respect the $23-million budget, the construction will begin in September, rather than in July as announced earlier, and that the refurbished stadium would not be ready in time for opening day of the Impact’s first MLS season.
Impact draws last-place Silverbacks, as Sebrango hits 100-goal mark 18 Jul 2011 Impact coach and technical director Nick De Santis said after practice yesterday that he wanted to see more initiative on the part of his men, particularly in the visiting Atlanta Silverbacks’ third of the field. He got what he wanted from Eduardo Sebrango who scored two on the afternoon with the second allowing the Impact to snatch a tie from the jaws of defeat and taking him to the century mark for his career.
Whitecaps match vs. RSL postponed, as grass pitch doesn’t hold up 16 Jul 2011 The Vancouver Whitecaps have been forced to postpone Saturday’s night’s scheduled match against Real Salt Lake, after the temporary grass pitch — installed so Manchester City can play on the real stuff for Monday’s friendly — couldn’t hold up to the rain. The field was declared unplayable.
Lack of first-team Canadians making Whitecaps a tough team to support 15 Jul 2011 Now, if you’ve ever heard Lenarduzzi speak about the team that went to World Cup finals in 1986, he’ll talk about the number of players on the squad who couldn’t find teams on which to play. It was a ragtag group of players, many of whom didn’t escape the realm of semipro North American soccer. Now, the shoe is on the other foot. Lenarduzzi is the boss. He’s on the club side. And he has obviously learned that management is a cruel business.
Toronto FC acquires Iro to bolster the back line 15 Jul 2011 The Extreme Makeover: TFC Edition series continues. A day after making two major deals, Toronto FC Technical Director coach was at it again Friday, sending Generation Adidas midfielder Tony Tchani to the Columbus Crew for defender Andy Iro and French midfielder Leandre Griffit.
TFC remakes its roster and gets Vancouver’s hometown hero 14 Jul 2011 On Thursday, TFC made two major deals — drastically remaking the roster. The Reds acquired Terry Dunfield, who scored against TFC on opening day at Empire Field, from the Vancouver Whitecaps for allocation money and future considerations. Dunfield, who was the lone Vancouverite in the regular ‘Caps lineup, didn’t start in the the team’s most recent match, a loss at Colorado.
Media giant Quebecor partners with the Impact 14 Jul 2011 The days of intermittent, indistinct webstreamed of Montreal Impact games are drawing to a close. When the club join sMLS next year all the team’s games will be televised, available in high-definition as a result of the five-year agreement the team announced today with Quebecor Media and its subsidiaries — a deal that team president Joey Saputo described as “the most important in club history.”
Impact adds Terminesi, looks at four trialists 13 Jul 2011 As the Montreal Impact prepares to face the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Stade Saputo Wednesday night, the team has brought another familiar face back into the fold. The club announced Tuesday that Canadian striker Marco Terminesi, a deal that lasts until the end of the 2011 season.
Hassli’s ESPY nomination a bright light in a dim Whitecaps’ season 13 Jul 2011 You have to wonder if Eric Hassli’s ridiculous wonder goal, scored a month ago in Seattle, will go down as the defining moment of the Whitecaps’ first season, a moment of magic that gleams from a dim campaign of disappointments.
First XI will produce headaches for MLS spin doctors 11 Jul 2011 With the MLS All-Star Game once again going head-to-head against the qualifying round of the CONCACAF Champions League (Toronto FC will face Real Esteli at the same time the All-Stars will take on Manchester United), two of the players selected in the First XI — Kasey Keller and Brek Shea — will be question marks for the game.