With the Impact’s first win of the season now under the belt, the team looks to enjoy a break from MLS regular season action this weekend before playing its first game of the Amway Canadian Championship on the road next Wednesday, followed by a home game against Sporting KC three days later.
Here’s what some of the team had to say after Tuesday’s training session:
Frank Klopas
On first training after win…
It’s always good to get that first win, but more than anything now we have to enjoy the victory, but get back to work. No game is easy; there is a lot of balance in this league. We are going to have to work harder and focus to push even more to look forward to the next games. It was great to win and get the clean sheet, but now we move forward.
On the break this weekend…
We have a cup game coming up, so the break is good for us, but with a lot of important games coming up, we have to maintain our focus. We need to continue to keep working and manage our players and see how they are feeling at the moment. Some guys may need more rest than others, but it’s an opportunity for some of our guys to get healthier.
On importance of Canadian championship…
We have to focus on one game at a time. We have to see where some guys are, and manage that part of it where we play Wednesday then Saturday. We’ll watch the game Wednesday night, take it from there and put the strongest group out there.
On preference between Ottawa and Edmonton as opponents…
To be honest with you, I’d rather stay closer to home with a game on the Saturday right after. The travel can take a toll over a long season, so to be close and take a bus there would be ideal. But, we’ll be ready for both teams.
Patrice Bernier
On the team’s morale…
A victory will definitely bring some confidence with it, especially since we’ve been looking for this win for a while now. We have to keep in mind how hard it was to get that first one in order to keep putting in the hard work.
On the break this weekend before playing Canadian championship next Wednesday…
We have some extra time now to help players rehab some small injuries and get prepared for many games in a short span with two games in four days. We have to keep the confidence up, stay positive and intense during training. The game is only a few days later than usual, so it shouldn’t be that bad.
Hassoun Camara
On the team’s morale…
It’s always easier to get to work at the beginning of the week with a victory in your back pocket. The season is long and we need as many wins as possible, so we continue to work hard towards that with an intense training session and hard work.
On possibly playing against former coach Marc Dos Santos and Ottawa in ACC…
It will be special. Marc is a coach I appreciate and was my first coach in Canada. It’s definitely a pleasure to see him successful in Ottawa and I hope they have a great season.
