For veteran defender Gabriel Gervais, this first pre-season game against a team from its own league will give Montreal a chance to evaluate their winter preparation.
“We had great pre-season games and we will play our season opener soon, so it’s important to play against the level we will be facing during the season,” said Gervais, who will play in 2008 his ninth season in the United Soccer Leagues. “We want to win the game but first we want to play well as a team and continue to progress, while at the same time showing a strong defense.”
In its last game, Monday in Sunrise, the Impact signed a 3-1 win against the Honduran national team, taking its pre-season game record to four wins, two losses and two ties.
“It will be another good test but I think that we will have the advantage because we have been training for the last couple of months,” noted midfielder Simon Gatti. “Miami is a team which plays the ball at its feet, like Honduras, so it’s the kind of game we are expecting.”
In eight exhibition games, since the beginning of the camp, January 7, the Impact has scored 14 goals and has allowed only six goals to its opponents.
“I hope that we will be able to create again a lot of scoring chances and to score a few goals,” said rookie defender Alex Surprenant. “Our long training camp was beneficial for us and our latest results show that things are looking well for tomorrow’s game and the beginning of the season.”
On April 3, 2007, the two teams had tied 0-0, in a pre-season match-up in Florida. In five regular season games against its rivals from Florida, the Impact has never lost and has never conceded a goal.
Last Monday, the Miami FC registered a 2-0 shutout win in their first pre-season game against Honduras 5 Estrellas, the Copa Latina champions.
Note that the Impact will play the first game of its 15th season in club history, on Saturday April 12, against the Whitecaps, at Swangard Stadium, in Vancouver.
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Source: Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
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