Earlier this season, Salles led the Impact to two 1-0 victories by scoring in both games against the Puerto Rico Islanders. Antoniuk would obviously like to do the same against the Timbers.
“I can’t say it won’t be a special game, because it will be,” says the 25-year-old striker about Sunday’s game. “I still have a lot of friends on that team. It’ll be fun. It’s always good to beat some friends. I’ll try to do my best and help the team win the game.”
After collecting a total of four goals and five assists in his first two USL seasons with the Timbers, Antoniuk came into his own last year, exploding offensively with 13 goals, two assists and 28 points, good for fourth place in goals and points in the league.
“My third season was a turning point because I got to start more games,” he says. “It’s hard to score when you don’t start. It’s hard to come off the bench and to perform every game. It’s a different mentality. It’s harder to get into a game.”
Antoniuk seems to be on the same path so far this year with the Impact. He already has three goals, making him the club’s leading goal-scorer, tied with Salles. And he has done that although he has only tallied 219 minutes of play in eight games. That could soon change, however. He started Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Silverbacks and scored the game-winning goal in Montreal’s 4-1 win.
“Although he hasn’t started many games, he deserves to play because each time he comes onto the field, he causes problems for the opponent,” says head coach Nick De Santis. “He has a great attitude. Before he was always playing a lot and now a little less, but he always works hard and he knows what he needs to do to improve. For a coach, it’s great to have that type of player on a team.”
Antoniuk isn’t necessarily the team’s most spectacular player on the field, but he certainly knows how to use his 6’3” and 195-pound frame effectively.
“He’s a player who dominates the penalty area,” says De Santis. “He’s shown us that he’s dangerous inside the 18-yard line.”
“He’s a big forward who likes to shake things up,” says captain Mauro Biello. “It’s hard to mark him, especially when the ball’s in the air. He’s the type of player who can help the team with his strength up front.”
“My style is to work hard around the net,” says Antoniuk. “I try to be as dangerous as I can. I’m a fighter. I know it’s not going to be easy. I grew up in Philadelphia, playing on rocky fields since the age of 12. That’s where my attitude and my strength come from. I have too much pride to let the other team get the best of me. If I have to, I will foul you. If I were a defender, I would be like Nevio (Pizzolitto), fighting hard to defend every ball.”
And Antoniuk plans to do that again this Sunday... even against his friends from Portland.
