Montreal on a two-game win streak
ATLANTA, Georgia – The Montreal Impact will play a second game in eight days, Saturday night at 6pm, taking on Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (TVA Sports, 98.5, TSN 690).
“They haven’t conceded a goal at home in five MLS games,” said Impact head coach Rémi Garde. “They’re a different team than the one that kicked off the campaign. We know it’s a difficult stadium to play in. But we’ve shown that we have a lot of character and a good mindset. We want to battle, which we showed in our last game. We’ll need to show more of that on Saturday.”
Montreal, currently second in the Eastern Conference, has won two consecutive games, and three of its last four matchups. This will mark their first road game in over a month, the last one taking place on Friday, May 24, in a 4-2 loss against Los Angeles FC. Rémi Garde’s men do however have a positive record on the road thus far and will be looking for a fifth win on enemy territory this season, which would represent an Impact record since it joined MLS.
If the Impact does win, and the Philadelphia Union loses its game against New York City FC, Montreal would take possession of first place in the East.
“The team is doing well,” said Impact midfielder Shamit Shome. “After winning our last game, we’re excited for this one. Atlanta lost their last game against Toronto, so they may be a little more motivated to bounce back. On our end, we’re excited for this game. The stadium is fantastic, and the atmosphere is excellent. We know it’s going to be a difficult game, but I think we can come back with a positive result Saturday.”
Atlanta United missing key players
Atlanta United head coach Frank de Boer will need to rotate his line-up, since he won’t be able to count on the services of Josef Martinez, called up by Venezuela for the Copa América, or on Ezequiel Barco and Hector Villalba, both injured. Young defender George Bello and midfielder Kevin Kratz will also be unavailable for the hosts. Atlanta United is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference, four points back on the Impact but with three less games played.
“We’ve won two consecutive games, which is fantastic,” said defender Jukka Raitala. “I think we’ve played well. This is an important game. Atlanta lost two days ago, which could be good for us, but we’ve been there a few times and we know it’s a difficult place to play. The beginning was difficult for them, but they’ve been in good form lately and they remain a good team.”
Upcoming games
The Impact will have a busy week: Montreal hosts Minnesota United FC on Saturday, July 6, at 7:30pm at Stade Saputo (TICKETS – TVA Sports, 98.5, TSN 690), before making its way to the Queen City for the first leg of the Canadian Championship quarterfinal against York 9 FC at York Lions Stadium on Wednesday, July 10, at 7:30pm. The Impact will then be back at Stade Saputo for a rivalry game against Toronto FC on Saturday, July 13 at 7:30pm (TICKETS – TVA Sports, TSN, 98.5, TSN 690).
