Mount Royal Soccer: All Posts by David Bertone

Impact fans react to jersey unveiling

2016-02-13T08:30:02-05:00

After weeks of anticipation, the club unveiled its new kit

Love it or hate it, the Montreal Impact's new home kit is here to stay (until next season). The lead up to the new kit though is the real story, as both players (or so we thought for a moment) and supporters alike were tricked into believing a glorified practice jersey would be the club's new jersey.

Alas, fashion sense prevailed and the clubs real kit was revealed, to a chorus of cheers and social media reaction. In the solid ten minutes of searching I did for fan reactions, I came to the conclusion that the general sentiment towards the jerseys was one of substantial love and appreciation.

Ok, maybe the emotions felt weren't that strong, but people sure did like them. Here are some reactions from Impact fans and non-Impact fans regarding the jerseys. Enjoy!

@impactmontreal Wow Wow WOW!!! All I can say is WOW!!! Absolutely beautiful jersey!!! #IMFC #BleuBlancNoir
— Peter Papadopoulos (@pete_daheat) February 12, 2016

@impactmontreal @MLS best 2016 kit so far
— John Cummings (@muycolocho) February 12, 2016

@impactmontreal @BMO Définitivement le plus beau maillot de IMFC en MLS.
— pascalf1 (@pascalf1) February 12, 2016

Like I mentioned earlier, the Impact tricked the fans into believing that a glorified practice jersey was the club's new kit.

Happily, Steve Harvey was the conspirator behind these jerseys and the real ones were announced soon after. Here are some fan reactions towards the new jersey "leak"

@impactmontreal jespere que vous utilisez bien harvey et que cest pas le nouveau maillot parce que cest horrible
— Olivier Bossut (@obossut) February 12, 2016

@luigijr666 @impactmontreal That kit was still better than the ''oh I pissed on my shirt" kit from the Crew.
— Danny Girard (@Timberdoodle21) February 12, 2016

Although the majority of #IMFC fans loved the new jersey, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows in Montreal. Allow James here to present his view on the new kits

@MLS @impactmontreal Hideous jersey....looks like training gear or pyjamas
— James (@JimmyCelticFC) February 12, 2016

Now these new kits are all well and good, but I can't wait to see them in action on a hot summer night at Saputo Stadium, that's when they'll really shine.

It shall shine even more when Didier Drogba wears it.

Let's forget about 2013

2015-10-28T19:15:02-04:00

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Why the Impact's 2013 playoff appearance should have no bearing on tomorrow's game

The Montreal Impact have only been in the MLS for four seasons, yet in those four seasons they accomplished more than other Canadian MLS team has to date. Although their first playoff run in 2013 was disastrous, it shouldn't be looked at as a precursor of what will happen tomorrow at Saputo Stadium. In fact, the 2013 playoffs should be considered an anomaly for the Montreal Impact.

Why Should We Ignore 2013?

First and foremost, almost the entire Impact roster has undergone massive changes. The core of players that the 2013 Impact was built around are almost all gone, and even the few that remain aren't an integral part of the team this season. Secondly, the way the Impact made the playoffs this year is vastly different than the way the team qualified in 2013. As opposed to scoreboard watching and hoping that other teams lost in order for them to gain entry to the big dance, this year's Impact won crucial games and qualified based on their own achievements.

The 2013 Impact started off their season blazing hot, only losing twice in their first 12 games. I remember falling victim to the hype surrounding the team, I genuinely believed that we were one of the best teams in the MLS. Then, as it always does, reality set in. Saying that the second half of the 2013 seasons was a roller coaster would be an understatement.

The Impact closed out their season by losing six of their last ten games. This terrible form to close the year led to the Impact relying on other teams results for a playoff spot. This backdoor entry into the playoffs should have been an omen of things to come. This team was not ready for playoff soccer, and it showed against the Houston Dynamo, at the BBVA Compass Stadium. The Impact were shutout three to zero and got three red cards in the process. That 2013 showed their true colors the ensuing season when they finished dead last in the league.

Why 2015 is different

First off, the makeup of the 2015 Montreal Impact is vastly different than that of the team in 2013. This year's squad is easily the greatest in club history. Be it Laurent Ciman who is the spine of the defense, or Didier Drogba up front who scores goals at will.

This year's team is just different. The Impact controlled their own playoff destiny all season, and when it really mattered the team showed up to play. Although their road woes are well documented, the team at home is almost unstoppable. This bodes well for them, as tomorrow's game is at Saputo Stadium.

As I said before, when it really mattered this season the Impact came in clutch. A perfect example of this being this past Sunday at Saputo Stadium. A win would guarantee a home playoff game and a positive end to the season. Although the first half didn't go as planned the second half more than made up for it.

Mauro Biello proved why he should be the teams full time coach with timely subs, and Didier Drogba showed why he's considered one of the greatest of all time in his position. The Impact knew what a win meant, and they went out and got it.

CONCACAF

One of the major reasons the 2013 iteration of the Impact didn't succeed in the playoffs was their relative lack of playoff experience together as a team. This year's team though has the benefit of having participated in the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Champions League. As any Montreal knows, the Impact caused quite a stir in last years tournament making it all the way to the finals.

Although the outcome wasn't one that we desired, the experience the team gained by playing together in this tournament is priceless. The roster was thrown into the fire and came out looking better than ever. They gelled under immense pressure and somehow managed to come out of the tournament stronger than ever. Under these circumstances most teams would crumble, the Impact did the exact opposite.

The Drogba Effect

Didier Drogba may not have been on the Impact's CCL roster, but that doesnt really matter. His eleven goals in eleven games shows that he and his team mates are all on the same page. It also shows that he is the elite attacker that the Impact have yearned for since the departure of Marco Di Vaio. Also added to his immense skill, is the fact that Drogba has boatloads of experience in high pressure situations. He's played in World Cups, UEFA Champions League finals and countless other big games in the EPL. The MLS playoffs won't be a problem for him.

Will We Win?

Everything I've written above may give you the idea that I'm overly-confident in the Impact...well thats not the case. Id be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about tomorrow's game. TFC is a damn good team and we the fans should not underestimate them because we've beaten them already. TFC will come out hungry, and the Impact can ill afford another start like last Sundays.

In the end though, all this and more will be answered tomorrow night at Saputo Stadium.

All I can really say is, lets not look back at history. Lets create some history.

Andres Romero has a torn ACL

2015-10-14T12:30:46-04:00

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

He is expected to miss eight to nine months

The worst fears of Impact supporters were confirmed this morning by the club, Andres Romero has torn his ACL. The Argentine attacker is expected to miss upwards of six to nine months.

Romero was injured on Saturday in Colorado when he was held by Rapids midfielder Dillon Powers. The ensuing free kick allowed Impact star striker Didier Drogba to score the games winning goal.

#IMFC confirm that Midfielder Andres Romero will be out for 6-9 months with a torn ACL (right knee) #TSN690
— Joey Alfieri (@joeyalfieri) October 14, 2015

It will be interesting to see how the club copes with the loss of one of its most dynamic attacking talents. The loss of Romero will likely propel Justin Mapp into the starting lineup, or may even force Mauro Biello to switch up his tactical approach.

Nonetheless, the loss of Romero presents a big blow to the Impact's attack. Didier Drogba will obviously be key next to Ignacio Piatti who will miss Romero, one of his preferred targets up front with the Bleu-Blanc-Noir

Bush: Unsung Hero

2015-10-13T14:39:14-04:00

Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Giving Evan Bush the credit he deserves!

The recent success of the Impact is often attributed to the same few individuals, Drogba, Piatti, Ciman and as of late Mauro Biello. However, there is always one man that flies under the radar, and thats Evan Bush. Bush signed with the Impact in 2011 while the club was still in the NASL.

It was during that season that he also won the NASL Golden Glove award for goalkeeper with the best goals against average and was named the Impacts defensive player of the year. Bush looked to have a bright future with the club and was poised to be the keeper of the future.

All was well and good for Bush leading into the Impacts inaugural MLS season in 2012. He had just signed a new deal with the club and was ready to play big MLS minutes. Then as is the norm with any new team trying to make a name for themselves in a new league, the Impact began bringing in bigger name players to fill out their roster.

This foray into the transfer market left Bush as the Impacts third string keeper, behind Greg Sutton and Donovan Ricketts. The season which had so much promise for Bush ended up being a dud, as he only started one game for the Impact. The ensuing 2013 campaign was more of the same for Bush, as he only started nine games, eight of which were non-MLS contests.

This brings us to the Impacts infamous 2014 season, a season which was marred by ugly losses and a last place finish in the MLS table. Although the season was a disaster for the club overall, the goal-tending situation was interesting to watch. Bush finally began getting more MLS starts and was showing his worth in all of them. Perkins who was still considered by the club to be the first string keeper was put on the hot seat.

Bush ended up playing 13 MLS games (21 overall with the CCL) and recorded a clean sheet in 3 of them, 6 total when including the CCL once again. As any soccer fan would tell you, measuring a goalies worth entirely based on clean sheets is flawed, although it was evident that in these performances Bush showed the spark and tenacity needed to be an MLS keeper.

The only good thing to come out of the Impacts 2014 season was a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. As any Impact fan or Montrealer for that matter would know, the clubs legendary run was unlike any other clubs in MLS history. Evan Bush started all these games except one, the ill-fated final at the Olympic Stadium. It was during this dream-like run that Evan Bush showed us all just how good he is.

Although the Impact failed to win the tournament, Bush's efforts were rewarded as he was named the tournaments best goalkeeper. The tremendous form Bush exhibited during the CCL transitioned into the MLS season, where he showed us all once again how talented he truly is.

This talent shined brighter than ever on May 23rd 2015. Dallas' Matt Hedges had just the scored in the 77th minute to bring Dallas within one goal. The next thirteen minutes were an absolute clinic by Evan Bush. I remember cheering louder than ever for Bush's saves that night. He put the team on his back, and finally the fans had noticed.

This season has been one of great promise for the Impact. They have arguably the best CB in the entire league and signed one of the biggest strikers in soccer history, all while fighting for a playoff spot. Its easy for us to get lost in the excitement of Laurent Ciman and Didier Drogba, but we mustn't forget about the man backstopping them. The consummate professional and unsung hero of the Impact, Evan Bush.