Impact captain Davy Arnaud played 10 seasons in Kansas City, so it’s no wonder that he knows the team and the coaching staff pretty well.
“They are a very well-organized side,” said Arnaud. “They have been one of the best teams in the league for the last few years. They play a very high tempo and are a very physical team. Matching them will be key.”
Let’s look at a few more key elements to Wednesday’s matchup.
Revenge factor?
WATCH: SKC 0, MTL 2 (May 5, 2012)
The Impact earned its first ever road win of the season in the first meeting between these two clubs, travelling to LIVESTRONG PARK on May 5, in a 2-0 victory. That loss was Sporting’s first at home in 2012. With a little revenge in mind, the team from KC will be looking to return the favour by beating Montreal on its own turf when the club visits Stade Saputo Wednesday night.
Back-to-back losses
The Impact is not the only team coming off two difficult losses. KC was thrashed at the hands of the Union in Philadelphia by a 4-0 score, on June 23; to the second worst team in the Eastern conference, which previously had won only one game all season long. They followed that up with a 1-0 defeat to the Chicago Fire last weekend, marking just the second time the team lost consecutive regular season matches this year.
Winless in five on the road
On the road, wins have been hard to find for Vermes’ men as they’ve been winless in its last five games away from LIVESTRONG PARK, allowing 10 goals during that period, including four in its last trip to PPL Park.
Stingy defence
Sporting Kansas City is the second stingiest defence in the entire league, second only to the Columbus Crew, who will be in town Sunday to face the Impact. Having allowed only 16 goals in as many games played, KC averages only one goal conceded per game. The fact that they are only +4 in goal differential demonstrates they play a very structured style, making it difficult for opponents to score goals.
Impact head coach Jesse Marsch could perhaps look at how Philadelphia was able to punish KC a few weeks ago, putting four answered goals past their defence.
12th man will be key
Support from the fans is imperative in a game like this one, to help catapult the home side to victory over a well-structured opponent. Together, let’s Defend the North at Stade Saputo. Show your colours with your scarf as the players make their way onto the pitch, scream their names as the starting lineup is introduced and sing “Allez Montreal” throughout the game.
Individual tickets are still available via admission.com or by calling 514-790-1245. New season ticket packages for all matches at Stade Saputo, as well as mini-season packages, are also available via impactmontreal.com, or by calling 514-328-3668.
