denime
09-05-2008, 06:33 AM
Knight: Making an Impact
Congratulations to the Montreal Impact! The USL-1 side trotted down to Honduras the other night, toughed out a gritty 0-0 draw with Nicaraguan champs Real Esteli – and advanced to the group stages of the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League.
This plucky club, in the mix for MLS expansion and winners of the Voyageurs Cup as Canadian champs despite a mid-table standing in the North American second division, will now carry the Canadian flag into Mexico, Honduras and Trinidad as group play begins later this month. They're on the rise in the league standings, too. On the night they won the cup in Toronto, they were 10th in their 11-team league.
Superb achievements – especially when you consider the fate of the New England Revolution, the marquee MLS side the Montrealers thought they would hosting and visiting in the weeks to come.
As the Impact were winning on the road – the match was moved to a 10,000-seater in Honduras because the 5,000-seater in Esteli was too small – the Revs got destroyed 4-0 in the cavernous home of the New England Patriot by tiny side Joe Public, up from Trinidad.
That's right! Joe Public brought down the Revolution! What a headline. Of course, they had a lot of help – from MLS scheduling and roster rules.
“We started a Champions League game with no forwards,” Revs coach Steve Nicol told the press after the match – his team's ninth in less than a month. “…No forwards, injuries, fatigue. What else do you want me to throw on?”
Read more (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080904.WBsoccerblog20080904132248/WBStory/WBsoccerblog/)
Congratulations to the Montreal Impact! The USL-1 side trotted down to Honduras the other night, toughed out a gritty 0-0 draw with Nicaraguan champs Real Esteli – and advanced to the group stages of the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League.
This plucky club, in the mix for MLS expansion and winners of the Voyageurs Cup as Canadian champs despite a mid-table standing in the North American second division, will now carry the Canadian flag into Mexico, Honduras and Trinidad as group play begins later this month. They're on the rise in the league standings, too. On the night they won the cup in Toronto, they were 10th in their 11-team league.
Superb achievements – especially when you consider the fate of the New England Revolution, the marquee MLS side the Montrealers thought they would hosting and visiting in the weeks to come.
As the Impact were winning on the road – the match was moved to a 10,000-seater in Honduras because the 5,000-seater in Esteli was too small – the Revs got destroyed 4-0 in the cavernous home of the New England Patriot by tiny side Joe Public, up from Trinidad.
That's right! Joe Public brought down the Revolution! What a headline. Of course, they had a lot of help – from MLS scheduling and roster rules.
“We started a Champions League game with no forwards,” Revs coach Steve Nicol told the press after the match – his team's ninth in less than a month. “…No forwards, injuries, fatigue. What else do you want me to throw on?”
Read more (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080904.WBsoccerblog20080904132248/WBStory/WBsoccerblog/)