July 10, 2006 USL Montreal Impact vs Toronto Lynx pre-game (from montrealimpact.com)

PRE-GAME REPORT: July 10, 2006
THE IMPACT HOSTS THE TORONTO LYNX ON TUESDAY

Defender Mauricio Vincello was named to the USL First Division Team of the Week (12th).MONTREAL – The Impact (6-1-5) is playing Tuesday the last of a three-game home stretch. In its 13th game of the season, its 8th at home, the Impact will face the Toronto Lynx (2-9-2) at Claude-Robillard Sports Complex (7:30 pm, CJAD 800, Sport Plus XM-172).

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
• In Montreal’s last game, Friday, defender Mauricio Vincello scored a goal in injury time to give the Impact a 1-1 tie against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Claude-Robillard Sports Complex, in front of 12,435 spectators, the largest crowd of the season. Vincello was subsequently named to the USL First Division Team of the Week (12th).

• With the tie, the Impact equalled a team record for the best start to a season at home, going seven games undefeated (4-0-3). Last year, Montreal kicked off its season with a 5-0-2 record.

• The Impact is undefeated in its last nine games (5-0-4) and leads its opponents 12-2 in goals during that stretch.

• The Impact is currently in 3rd place overall in USL D1 standings with 22 points, 3 points behind first place — presently held by the Vancouver Whitecaps. However, Montreal has six games in hand.

THE OPPONENT
• The Toronto Lynx are 12th and last in USL D1 standings with 8 points.

• The Lynx are in a good stretch, having recently won their last two games, their first two victories of the season. After a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 5, the Lynx shut out the Charleston Battery 1-0, Sunday.

• Toronto has the worst offence in the league with only eight goals scored in 13 games, and has yet to win on the road this season (0-6-1).

• Last year, the Ontario team ended the season last in the standings (3-17-8).

• Since 1993, the year Toronto joined the league (Lynx, Rockets and Blizzard), the Impact has a lifetime record of 25-12-4.

• Montreal has not lost in its last eight games against the Lynx (6-0-2) and leads 12-3 in goals during that stretch.

PRE-GAME COMMENTS
CAPTAIN MAURO BIELLO
“After the game against Vancouver, this will be another match-up with a big rivalry. It will be important to stay focused on the little details if we want to have a good result tomorrow. We will try to create more scoring chances. Yes, we want to score more goals, but the team is playing pretty well right now and we have to take what’s positive.”

GOALKEEPER ANDREW WEBER
“We will have to play a better game than we did last Friday against Vancouver. We did not play consistently during 90 minutes and we have to do so, especially at home. We’re expecting a team that will come at us so we have to come out strong. Having won their last two games, they are currently on a high so we’ll have to match that by playing better. They have players that can do some damage so we’ll have to stay focused and work hard defensively.”

MIDFIELDER PATRICK LEDUC
“The Lynx have a good team on paper and I’m surprised they haven’t won more games this year. Toronto is not a last-place team. We always have good results against them because we approach those games very seriously.”

FACTS TO FOLLOW
• After 12 games so far this season, two Montreal players have played every minute of every game (1080): central defenders Gabriel Gervais and Nevio Pizzolitto. Defender Mauricio Vincello has also played every game this season.

• Nevio Pizzolitto is only three games away from his 200th career game with the Impact. He will soon become the third Montreal player to reach the 200 games played mark, after Mauro Biello (276) and Nick De Santis (219).

INJURIES
Team – Player (Position) – Injury – Status
MTL - Antonio Ribeiro (M) – hamstring - day to day
MTL - Greg Sutton (G) – fractured index - return date TBD

IMPACT LAST GAME
Fri. July 7: Vancouver 1- Impact 1 (@ Montreal, 12,435 spectators)
Goal: Mauricio Vincello (Leonardo Di Lorenzo) 90th

NEXT GAMES
Sat. July 15 - Impact @ Seattle Sounders - Qwest Field - 10 pm
Sun. July 16 - Impact @ Vancouver Whitecaps - Swangard Stadium - 10 pm

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Source: Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info: 514-328-3668, ext. 27

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