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Head Coach Hunt
During the conference call before the game vs Bologna FC (1-0 loss), Mauro Biello did not shy away to clearly position himself as a candidate for being the full-time Montreal Impact head coach. Does it make him the favorite for the head coaching position?
Being close to the club as a legend of the club, his appointment to the MLS staff was no coincidence.Outside family ties with Nick De Santis (Brother In Law), his connection to the club and the importance of having people from within grow is a positive thing. Now is Mauro Biello the head coach for the club in MLS? He does fit the bill as per not having philosophical differences with Joey Saputo and most importantly Nick De Santis, the Architect of the sporting aspect of the club. The Italy tour will give more experience to Biello to run the team but it's unlikely to see him given the permanent head coach with his lack of experience.
It might be too early to draw a sketch or template for the next head coach of the Montreal Impact. We do know that the Montreal Impact will act much faster than we would expect. Could we see names like Marcello Lippi come up in the rumor mill? Very possible. But the Impact will be looking for soccer credibility and not just a big name to handle the pitch while still keeping its European flair.
Alessandro Nesta coming to Montreal is no coincidence as the ex-AC Milan player might already be starting to build his coaching career. Rumors around that have already started to come out a few weeks ago and it is not a crazy thought with the Impact or with AC Milan.
Next signing from Europe : Luca Toni, Alberto Aquilani, Mystery player?
I will be surprised to see the Montreal Impact come back empty handed from Italy. Not necessarily with an official player signing but deep talks with 1 or a few players are expected in one of the many lands of the ''Beautiful Game''.
Luca Toni's name was mentioned as being a Montreal Impact signing , at the beginning of the 2012 season. He eventually left Juventus for UAE's club El Nasr, only to come back to Italy at the end of August. Not necessarily the building piece for a club, having him next to Di Vaio could be interesting but we are purely talking short-term. His value is questionable but the Impact's vision for Impact players (no pun intended) is geared towards the boot-shaped country.
Patrick Leduc , La Presse and RDS journalist , talks about the new breed of '' Misters'' of Serie A and some interesting players that might be lured into MLS via the Impact. He mentions Alberto Aquilani in name and in profile as a potential fit for that number 10 , offensive midfielder that Montreal is looking for (and looking they are). The profile is more than interesting and fits the bill. Even though it seems almost impossible to see a 28-year old Serie A player with that type of talent come to MLS, having players like Di Vaio, Nesta, Ferrari and Corradi might help the Public Relation aspect for the Impact. Aquilani has too much talent and is still considered to get selected by the Azzurri even if he was not selected recently.
David Pizarro is also a very interesting player that the Montreal Impact might face in the friendly game against Fiorentina. The Chilean midfielder has the age profile to look at MLS as a new venue. The ex-AS Roma star fits the profile of either a side midfielder when need-be but is an excellent central midfielder and could be more than just a ''big name'' in MLS.
Whether it is a new head coach or a new player (or players), the Montreal Impact is going deep into its European connections with a very distinct Italian flavor.
What/Who will come back with the club? Tell us what you think