Mount Royal Soccer: All Posts by Denny Stamos

Defence Starts With The First Forward

2015-01-26T19:45:00-05:00

When the news came out about Enzo Concina possibly joining the impact I knew at that point that this was going to be big news. Now Enzo is here and most people underestimate how import his role with the Impact will really be.

Enzo Concina was a central defender that specialized in "man marking" and that played in Italy for teams like Cesena, Pavia, Piacenza, Monza, Forli and in 1994 the Montreal Impact.

His playing career in Italy is one of his most valuable assets in a time where many of the best players in the world were playing in Italy, that alone was deemed an incredible experience for Concina to progress technically and tactically.

Even more credit to him is his assistant coaching career with Serie A team Naples from 2010-2013 and then to Inter Milan. He helped Milan advance in the UEFA Champians League to the knock out phase beating Barcelona 2-0 but then eliminated by Bacelona on an aggregate of 4-2. None the less, a crucial point in his career with a team that experienced world class playing.

Before coming to the Impact, Concina was hired to help last place D.C. United (2013) improve their defence. DC went to the top of the charts in 2014 with a total of 59 points to the number 1 position their conference, im betting he can help us!

An interesting point i should bring up is that during Concina's time at Napoli, he was approached by the Montreal Impact to coach the team. This was before Marco Schallibaum came to the Impact, most likely after Jesse Marsch left. This leads us to conclude that he is eligible and certainly capable of being a Head Coach should things not work out with Klopas.

So the Impact now has Concina as a Defensive Coach and a fresh crop of skilled defenders. Joining the ranks are Dony Toia from folded team Chivas USA, Bakary Soumare , an imposing 6 foot 4 experienced central defender who played for French team US Boulogne gathering a wealth of experience and then moving on to play for Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire.

Then we have Victor Cabrera on loan from one the most prestigious clubs in Argentina, River Plate. His development by River Plate's Academy will be a valuable asset, we must see what his capabilities are and how Concina evaluates him.

Finally on the backline is recently acquired central Defender Laurent Ciman from Belgium's first division team Standard Liege who played a total of 286 regular season games and 269 starts. A player with a vast experience taking part in four qualifying matches for the UEFA Champions League, 16 games in the Europa League, two Europa League qualifiers and five matchups in the UEFA Cup.

A lot of work is expected from Concina and Frank Klopas to see the Impact's defence improve significantly, based on Concina's record we can only expect this to be true. This breaths renewed optimism and fans should certainly be excited about his arrival.

Forging a squad to win!

2015-01-24T12:48:09-05:00

Impact began their preseason camp at the Olympic Stadium on Friday January 23rd with most of the new players there getting prepared as a unit for their first match against Pachuca F.C of Mexico on February 24.

Managers of the Impact have expressed to the players that they need to be quick on their feet and get unite quickly as expectations are high to win. With all the new faces many of which are players with strong personalities and leadership qualities as in the case of Nigel Reo-Coker a 3 times Captain in British Premier League.

Reo-Coker seems very comfortable in taking a leadership role in the lockeroom and out on the field, he has confirmed having a private conversation with Klopas about this. He has the ability to get players to be more vocal and build strong relationships. It will be interesting to see how things go with this in relation to Bernier who is currently the team captain.

Newly acquired International Belgian Central Defender Laurent Ciman who is also known for his leadership capabilities will most likely be the man to keep the backline in check, with most of the defenders speaking French it may just add that little advantage with a fluid communication.

We know of the leadership qualities from Bakary Soumare and of Marco Donadel who was also a captain for Italy’s U21 team.

The vibe in the team is positive and we can see players are turning the page on the 2014 season with a fresh new start, with a goal to win. From players comments we can also see the team is focused to play as one and not as trios or duos, they want to play as a collective.

The Impact seem to really have what it takes now to motivate each other and to forge a team to win!

Some news about Piatti via Nicolas A Martineau - TVA Sports

"Ignacio Piatti s'entraîne seul sur le terrain. Il a subi une intervention chirurgicale au genou gauche et sera prêt pour le Mexique!"

I Asked Nicolas about Nacho and here was his reply in short

"difficile à juger, mais il ne bougeait clairement pas à son aise."

For some of us this might be worrisome but he still has one month before the match in Mexico and Klopas seemed confident he would either start or get some minutes in.

What stands out the most in speaking with the players is that there is a very positive attitude in wanting to be in Montreal and that the players are happy to be here. This is a very important factor and will play well with the fans, amongst favoured players will most likely be Bakary Soumare "Baky" who is highly motivated to be in Montreal.

Laurent Ciman also French speaking adored by fans in Belgium is also expected to bring that same love to Montreal Fans. We as fans need to embrace this new change and also renew our support for our team. As i have said in my last article this is a time of change and we all need to return to Stade Saputo and cheer on make ourselves heard.

Follow @DennyStamos

Time To Rally the IMFC Troops

2015-01-20T08:15:02-05:00

Stop being so negative. The team needs us more than ever.

If you are a Montreal Impact fan like I am, then the 2014 season and even the end of 2013 was really hard for you. Seeing an empty Saputo Stadium on Di Vaio's last game confirmed even more how bad things were really going. We all had our frustrations and ups and downs (more downs).

There were endless bad comments on Twitter and Facebook about the team and how every management person should be out and that the Impact was a real joke. But yet we had one of the promising teams in 2012-2013, a sold out stadium and talk of the town.

Boy the future was bright!

But what happened? It's hard to say exactly, everyone has their own opinion and story. Today, we are not here to discuss this. On their off-season, the Impact have been hard at work to restructure themselves and make all the necessary changes.

A few signings have joined the team and among them: Donny Toia, Marco Donadel, Nigel Reo-Coker, Bakary Soumare, Victor Cabrera, Eric Kronberg, Romario Williams and just recently a new DP central defender Laurent Ciman from Belgium.

And it's still not over and more good things are bound to happen. I know as much as the club that no one wants to repeat last season! This is 2015 and change is coming. One thing for sure, as Montrealers, we are certainly very proud sports fans. We do not accept defeat, we all want the glory restored. Don't worry. I have a plan.

Once the dust lifts off and Montreal begins to emerge, all those badmouthers will be right back on the bandwagon! We are going to see the Stadium with 20K attendance again!

I am confident in the management and the players and that everything is behind us now. We have new players & staff and Frank Klopas has all the tools as his disposal to make it happen and most importantly a fresh and fair start.

It's all up to the players and the coach now to step up and give us their 120%!

So whats the plan?

During this off-season, as true fans, we must keep wearing the "Bleu-Blanc-Noir". It is -25C outside and in support, I wear my #IMFC scarf and tuque, proudly wearing it every day, knowing that my team will once again prevail!

IMFC Fans need to support their team like never before.

Sure, it's easy to complain about the wrongs and threaten to give up on them but that's not going to solve anything. I have realized it to be more productive to take this situation and motivate myself and others around me and to stop being so negative. The team needs us more than ever.

As an #IMFC troop, you also need to step up your game!

Sure we cannot win games for them, but changes are already happening and the future looks good! So we all need to get this bandwagon rolling again: Wear the colors, talk about #IMFC positively, support your team by sending players encouragement on Twitter, leave positive comments on the the Impact Facebook page, go see the Pachuca match!

Attend all the season opener matches. Do what ever you can to get their attention!

If we all unite together and rally to support our team, this will send a strong positive vibe to the squad!

I am constantly being asked about individuals. The only way to win is as a team. Football is not about one or two or three star players - Pele

Mount Royal Soccer: All Posts by Denny Stamos

Defence Starts With The First Forward

Forging a squad to win!

The Impact seem to really have what it takes now to motivate each other and to forge a team to win!

via RDS - A Revamped Defense And Renewed Optimism!

via ImpactMedia - 2 New Players Reo-Coker and Soumare Address The Media

via Impact Montreal - Frank Klopas Interview

via Douglas Gelevan of the CBC - Reo-Coker, Baky, JacMac, Bernier, Hassoun

Time To Rally the IMFC Troops

Boy the future was bright!

So whats the plan?