Montreal has won three of its last four games at home
MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact will kick off a busy week with three games in eight days, this Saturday at 7:30pm at Stade Saputo, when it hosts Minnesota United FC. This marks the only regular-season game between both clubs this season. Excellent tickets remain available on impactmontreal.com.
“They’re a confident team at the moment, and they’re capable of scoring a lot of goals,” said Impact head coach Rémi Garde. “They have a very energetic and offensive-minded group, and they’re very efficient. We need to keep our focus at the highest level and adopt the same mindset we employed in our last few games.”
Stade Saputo's gates will at 5:30pm, allowing you to take advantage of the summer. From 5:30pm to 6:30pm, the 2-for-1 special on all drinks will be in place, and animations, numerous activities, and photobooths will be available beneath the stands. Video game enthusiasts can try their luck against LyesMTL, the Impact's eSports player in the BMO Celebration Zone, on FIFA 19 on PS4. Finally, a new pregame ritual, during which supporters will be able to welcome players in the stadium's North stand, will take place as of 6pm, 90 minutes before kickoff. Please note as well that our new IMFC grilled cheeses made by chef Danny Smiles will henceforth be on the concessions' menu at Stade Saputo, starting as low as $2.83 (plus tax).
The MLS bag policy will be in place for this game. Backpacks, camera bags, and big tote bags, as well as any bag larger than 35cm x 35cm x 15cm will not be accepted inside the stadium.
Also, please note that more traffic than usual is to be expected in the Sherbrooke/Pie-IX/Pierre-de-Coubertin/Viau area, as well as to access the different parking lots around Stade Saputo due to roadwork.
The Viau metro station is undergoing an important renovation project. Construction on the new bus rapid transit corridor (BRT) on Pie-IX Boulevard has begun, and as such, traffic on Pie-IX between the A40 and Pierre-de-Coubertin Street will be impeded, while bus routes may be diverted. The P1, P2, P3, P4 parking lots are available. The P5 parking lot is reserved for Members with a parking pass.
Three players return from international duty
Canadians Samuel Piette and Zachary Brault-Guillard, as well as Panamanian Omar Browne, will be available for Garde for the 21st game of the MLS regular season, having returned from international duty after representing their countries at the Gold Cup. Canada fell 3-2 in the quarterfinals against Haiti, while Panama was eliminated in the same stage, losing 1-0 against Jamaica.
“We’re happy to see a few of our players come back,” said centre-back Rudy Camacho. “We worked well even with a reduced group, so we need to keep that same quality. We need to play our style, be offensive in front of our home crowd and give the same effort we’ve given in the past few weeks. We want to keep that aspect of our game and bring back a win Saturday.”
Third in the Eastern Conference
The Impact, despite a 2-1 loss against Atlanta United last week, still ranks among the top three in the Eastern Conference, five points away from top spot. Montreal has won three of its last four games at home and will play three of its next four MLS games at Stade Saputo in July. Also, the Impact’s next win at Stade Saputo will be its 75th since the stadium opened in 2008.
Zakaria Diallo scored his second goal of the season last week, the first defender to do so since Hassoun Camara did it in 2016. He’s just one goal away from equaling the club record in MLS, established by Camara in 2013.
A tough opponent
Minnesota United FC has won four consecutive games across all competitions, scoring 17 goals in that sequence. Adrian Heath’s men, ranked fourth in the Western Conference, remain perfect against Montreal, having won both games against the Impact since they joined MLS.
“Minnesota is a very good team,” said midfielder Shamit Shome. “Defensively and offensively, they’re a team that’s really starting to find their rhythm. We know it’ll be a tough test for us, but like any other team we play, we know we can handle them, and we’re prepared for that.”
Upcoming games
The Impact will play the first leg of the quarterfinal of the 2019 Canadian Championship against York 9 FC on Wednesday, July 10, at 7:30pm at York Lions Stadium (OneSoccer). They will then return home to take on Toronto FC in a rivalry game on Saturday, July 13, at 7:30pm at Stade Saputo (TICKETS – TVA Sports, TSN, 98.5, TSN 690).
