MONTREAL - If its not a must-win game, the Montreal Impacts home opener is certainly one they would very much like to win.
Cheap NFL Jerseys Chinese . After opening the Major League Soccer season with two tight losses on the road, the Impact will play host to the Seattle Sounders
before more than 25,000 at Olympic Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It will be a
first home game for new coach Frank Klopas, the first time Brossard, Que.,
native Patrice Bernier will play at home as team captain, and the last that star
striker Marco Di Vaio will sit out from the three-game suspension he got for
wading into a skirmish in the playoffs last October. "Its the third game of the
season, but we need to start getting some points," former Chicago Fire boss
Klopas said this week. "Its good to be home. "We definitely felt that we should
have picked up some points on the road, but thats the game." The Impact opened
the season March 8 with a 3-2 loss in Dallas marked by a harsh penalty awarded
to the home team. They followed a week later with a 1-0 defeat in Houston. There
was a feeling the team played better in the second game — that the defence was
sharper, that better chances were created and that Di Vaios replacement Andrew
Wenger looked more comfortable up front. "We have some momentum even if were
0-2," said Bernier, who replaced the departed Davy Arnaud as captain. "Its not
like we played bad and got cleaned out. "We felt we progressed last game from
the first game and now were coming home. We have to defend our home and weve
been very good at home the last two years. This is a game that could send us in
the right direction and give us a positive boost." They are up against a Seattle
side (1-1-0) with a formidable attack, but which is coming off a 2-1 loss at
home to Toronto FC on former Tottenham striker Jermain Defoes pair of first-half
goals. The Sounders, old foes of the Impact from their A-League and United
Soccer League days, have not beaten Montreal in MLS play. The Impact won 4-1 in
Montreal in 2012 and opened the 2013 campaign with a 1-0 win in Seattle. But
Seattle has been among the better away sides in MLS, with a 29-28-24 road record
since they entered the league in 2009. Di Vaio and midfielder Andres Romero,
both with three game suspensions, wont see action until a March 29 game in
Philadelphia. In Di Vaios absence, winger Justin Mapp and attacking midfielder
Felipe Martins have led the offence. The veteran Mapp was among their best
players last season, but Felipe looks to have rebounded from a mediocre campaign
and is looking more like the energetic playmaker he was as a rookie in 2012. He
has yet to score, but leads the team with eight shots. "I had a few chances," he
said. "But the hardest thing is to create chances and were doing that. "The only
thing is we have to put it in the net, but that is going to come. Its not after
one or two games you have to figure out whats going on. Its just soccer, no? One
time a goal goes in and after that it comes natural." Klopas likes what hes seen
of the Brazilian. "He missed the beginning of the season with injury last year
and that was one reason his fitness level and sharpness werent the same," the
coach said. "Hes a guy that sometimes doesnt get the points, but he helps the
team in so many ways without the ball, with his work rate and stuff like that.
"Ive been very pleased with him and I know he has a lot more room to grow."
Bernier, coming off knee surgery, missed the season opener but got in 72 minutes
in Houston. The team is still waiting for Bernier, Felipe and designated player
Hernan Bernardello to all be at peak form to see what the centre of their
midfield can do. Bernardello was injured shortly after signing last summer. The
Impact are to play their first three home games at the Big O before moving
outdoors to Saputo Stadium. Klopas coached Chicago against the Impact in
Montreals first MLS game at Olympic Stadium in 2012, a 1-1 draw. "Its amazing
that two years ago I was on the opposite side in the first game here, with a
tremendous atmosphere," he said. "I hope its the same, only now theyre cheering
for me and our team."
Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Five straight losses (and six in the past seven) now dot the schedule – matching their longest
skid of the year – after they fell again in New Jersey on Sunday night, topped
3-2 by Cory Schneider and the Devils.
CHeap Jerseys USA . In a matchup of teams battling head-to-head for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccers Western Conference, the Whitecaps run
to the post-season took a hard hit when FC Dallas blew open a tie game with two
goals in the final minutes for a 3-1 victory Saturday night.NEW ORLEANS -- The
Pelicans offence hit a cold streak at the worst time. Mike Conley hit a driving
layup against Austin Rivers with 1.5 seconds remaining to complete Memphis 9-0
run over the final 3:22 and the Grizzlies escaped with a 90-88 victory over the
New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. Conley initially drove to his right,
and then split the lane before pulling up just short of the goal for his
game-winning basket.. The Pelicans were out of timeouts and Rivers missed a long
desperation shot as time expired. "Its very sweet," said Conley, who scored 16
points in leading the Grizzlies to their fourth consecutive win. "We knew who
they had on the floor. They were going to switch the pick-and-roll. I ended up
splitting it and having a lane." The undermanned Pelicans, playing without
guards Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon, missed five shots and committed one
turnover during the final 3:22. "Its tough," Rivers said. "We felt like we had
the game won. We should have known better. They are a veteran team."
Anthony Morrow missed a 3-point attempt with 14.3 seconds remaining, setting up
the Grizzlies for the winning shot. "It felt great," Morrow said of his missed
shot. "I was open, just a little bit off." Marc Gasol added 15 points, and
Zach Randolph and Tony Allen 13 each for Memphis. Anthony Davis scored 29
points, including 22 in the first half, for the Pelicans, who had won their past
three games. Rivers scored 14 points, Brian Roberts 12 and Morrow 10 for New
Orleans. Davis, who turned 21 Tuesday, added 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.
"The last few minutes we could not get anything," Davis said.
NFL Jerseys Chinese. "We couldnt run a play. We had a couple of bad shots, turned the ball over." After taking a 57-48 halftime lead, the Pelicans were
held to 31 points in the second half, equaling their second-quarter output. New
Orleans, which scored 14 points in the final quarter, finished with 17 turnovers
and 16 assists. "We just couldnt score," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. "We
couldnt get into an offence. We kind of went away from the things that weve been
doing, pushing the ball down the floor off stops." Memphis juggled its defence
against Davis in the second half, using Tayshaun Prince, then James Johnson. The
ploy worked as Davis, who was 8 of 11 in the first half, finished 9 of 14. "I
thought that was effective but it was an effort thing," Memphis coach David
Joerger said. "We didnt play hard enough or with enough energy in the first
half. Then, in the second half, we picked up more energy. We went small a little
bit just to kind of junk up the game." Davis was dominant in the first half,
scoring 22 points. He displayed his full arsenal, scoring underneath or stepping
out and hitting the open jumper. Randolph led the Grizzlies with 12 points and
four rebounds in the half. He was 5 of 7, taking advantage of his matchup
against the Pelicans Alexis Ajinca. NOTES: The Pelicans made all of 22 of their
free throw attempts, the first time they were perfect from the line since March
18, 2013, against Golden State. It was the second most free throws made while
staying perfect in franchise history.
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