The Montreal Impact will look to continue their momentum on Saturday afternoon when they take on the New England Revolution. The Canadian club is coming off a famous 2-0 victory against Costa Rican side Alajuelense in the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Revs have had a rough start to the 2015 MLS season, starting with an 0-2 record after defeats to Seattle and NYCFC. However, New England are a strong side, making the MLS Cup Final last season, where they ultimately lost to the L.A. Galaxy. This will mark the home opener for New England, while the Impact will be playing their second match of the season. It should be a brisk afternoon in Massachusetts, with the weather forecast calling for a mix of rain and snow and a high of 3 C (37 F).
Who is In – Who is Out?
The Revolution will be without a number of usual suspects, as Jose Goncalves is suspended after receiving a red card last weekend. Midfielder Jermaine Jones is recovering from sports hernia surgery and Teal Bunbury is suffering from a separated shoulder. On the blue and black side of things, Montreal will be without Justin Mapp for the foreseeable future after he suffered a fractured elbow against D.C. United. Midfielder Dilly Duka is also suffering from some tightness in his left leg according to the MLS website. Andres Romero looks fit to return to the lineup after missing the last few weeks with an injury to his thigh.
Who is Saying What?
Although New England have lost their first two games, the Impact are not taking the Revs’ lightly. Montreal assistant coach Mauro Biello noted that, “Despite losing their first two games, they have a lot of quality players and created a lot of chances. Agudelo, Nguyen, Rowe are all good offensive players. It’s their home opener, so they will be ready.”
Revolution head coach Jay Heaps also paid the team from Québec some respect, “They’re already further along in the season than most MLS teams are, so they’re going to be a dangerous team,” Heaps said in reference to Montreal’s CCL participation. “They had a tough result in D.C., but we’re looking at a team that I think is really more dynamic this season.”
3 Things to Watch for:
– The Montreal Impact midfield has been a welcome surprise so far this season, with the likes of Nacho Piatti, Nigel Reo-Coker and Marco Donadel running things in the middle of the park. New England will provide a good test to see if this midfield can compete at the same level in the MLS that they have been in the CCL.
– Lee Nguyen will keep the Impact backline on guard all afternoon. An MLS MVP finalist last season, Nguyen scored 18 goals and added five assists in 2014 and will no doubt provide a challenge for Laurent Ciman and Bakary Soumaré. If Montreal want to leave Foxboro with a result, it will be key for them to shut him down.
– Cameron Porter has stolen the spotlight up front for the Impact the last few weeks. The 3rd round draft pick from Princeton could prove to be the difference maker for Montreal if he is given the chance to play in the match. He is riding a wave at the moment after knocking Pachuca out of the CCL and playing a very good match against Alajuelense.
Where to Watch:
After the Friday night MLS game between Philadelphia and Dallas was cancelled due to poor weather conditions the Impact and Revolution will kick of the MLS menu this weekend. The match will start at 3:00pm EST and can be seen on TVA Sports in Canada as well as MLS LIVE.
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