MONTREAL – After seven winless games in 2014, it was a matter of time before Joey Saputo spoke out.
The Impact President used his Twitter account this Tuesday morning to comment on the Impact’s worst start to an MLS season.
Frank Klopas is Montreal's third head coach in three years, but despite the Impact’s history with coaches and a resounding 4-0 loss to Kansas City last Saturday, the pressure isn’t getting to him.
“No,” Klopas told reporters when asked whether he was worried about his future. “Listen, for me, as long as I’m here, I’m going to do whatever I possibly can. No matter what happens, Montreal will always have a special place in my heart. I have a lot of confidence in myself, and I have a lot of confidence in the team. It’s a long season. I know what I’m doing. We’re working very well. The ball is round. It’s going to bounce your way sometimes, sometimes it’s not.”
A determined Klopas reiterated his confidence that the ball would eventually bounce his team’s way and maintained that finding solutions with the pieces he has at his disposal is on his shoulders.
“It’s my responsibility,” Klopas said. “I know that. I know that I have to get results. I have a big responsibility to the organization. They’ve been great to me. I came here because I believe in the organization. I love this city, the fans are great. It’s not easy. I don't sleep at night at all because this is all I think about, believe me: what we can do better.”
Klopas also addressed the Kansas City rout with the press for the first time since Saturday, when nearly an hour passed before he came out for postgame comments. Montreal newspaper reporters had already left at that time, however, their typically tight deadlines tightened further by the time zone difference.
The timing could have been better, as TV reporters had taken exception, the previous Thursday, to their inability to capture the mandatory 15 minutes of footage when the Impact trained behind closed doors.
Klopas, who apologized for the Kansas City mishap, insisted that he had no intention of complicating the media’s job.
“Normally, I need some time with my emotions, to think, but then we started the meeting talking and it dragged on a little longer than normal,” Klopas explained. “By the time I came out – I didn’t have a watch on –, it had been a little longer. I have a lot of respect for the press, the people that work in this industry, and they’re there to cover the team, good or bad. I respect that, and there’s no issue with me.”
Olivier Tremblay covers the Impact on MLSsoccer.com
