DJT Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 <center>Voyageurs Cup 2005 Match 4 Montreal Impact vs. Vancouver Whitecaps Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - 7:30 PM EDT Claude-Robillard Sports Complex, Montreal Television: RDS Radio & Audio Webcasts: CJAD 800 AM Montreal (English language) CKAC 730 AM Montreal (French language) TEAM 1040 AM Vancouver </center> SCENARIOS [*]If Montreal win then they will clinch the 2005 Voyageurs Cup title. [*]If Montreal win or draw then they will clinch the 2005 Commissioner's Cup title (first place in USL D1). MATCH PREVIEWS [*]Voyageurs Cup media release - see next post [*]Montreal » VC: 2-0-0 3-1 6 (1st place) / USL D1: 15-7-2 34-14 52 (1st place) » Impact media release - see next post [*]Vancouver » VC: 0-1-0 0-0 1 (2nd place) / USL D1: 11-9-4 36-18 42 (3rd place) » Whitecaps media release - see next post [*]Bill Beacon/CP - see next post [*]MatchNight! HEAD-TO-HEAD IN THE VOYAGEURS CUP [*]Results at Montreal: » July 17, 2002 - Montreal 2 Vancouver 1 » August 6, 2003 - Montreal 1 Vancouver 1 » August 6, 2004 - Montreal 0 Vancouver 0 [*]» Record at Montreal: Montreal 1-2-0 Vancouver » Record overall: Montreal 4-2-0 Vancouver WEATHER FORECAST From Environment Canada on August 31 at 11:30 AM EDT: Metro Montréal - Laval. Heavy rainfall warning in effect. Today..Rain at times heavy. Amount 35 mm. Hazy. Wind northeast 40 km/h gusting to 60. High 21. Tonight..Rain ending this evening then cloudy. Hazy this evening. Wind northeast 40 km/h gusting to 60 becoming west 30 early this evening. Low 18.[/code]This is due to the remnants of Hurricane Katrina, which will probably be centred near Montreal during the match. Voyageurs Cup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted August 31, 2005 Author Share Posted August 31, 2005 VOYAGEURS CUP MEDIA RELEASE VOYAGEURS CUP MAY BE CLAIMED THIS WEEK TORONTO (August 31, 2005) - The Montreal Impact can claim their fourth-consecutive Voyageurs Cup on Wednesday, August 31 when they host the only other remaining contenders, the Vancouver Whitecaps. Montreal would clinch the title with a win over Vancouver. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM Eastern at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex in Montreal. The match will be broadcast live on television by Le Réseau des Sports (RDS), on the radio by CJAD 800 AM Montreal, CKAC 730 AM Montreal and TEAM 1040 AM Vancouver, and on the Internet at cjad.com, ckac.com and team1040.ca. Montreal would still clinch the title this week if Wednesday's match ends in a draw and Vancouver fail to defeat the Toronto Lynx on Friday, September 2. Kickoff on Friday is at 8:00 PM Eastern at Centennial Park Stadium in Toronto. The match will be broadcast live on television by Fox Sports World Canada (FSWC) and Fox Soccer Channel (FSC), on the radio by TEAM 1040 AM Vancouver, and on the Internet at team1040.ca. Vancouver would maintain a chance to claim their first Voyageurs Cup if they win in Montreal, or if they draw in Montreal and win in Toronto. In either of these cases, the competition would come down to the final match between Vancouver and Montreal on September 11 in Vancouver. This season's Voyageurs Cup kicked off with Vancouver hosting Toronto in a scoreless draw on April 24. Montreal then defeated Toronto twice over one weekend, 1-0 on July 22 in Toronto and 2-1 on July 24 in Montreal. Those results eliminated Toronto from contention for the title. With three matches remaining in the competition, Montreal have 6 points from 2 matches, Vancouver have 1 point from 1 match, and Toronto have 1 point from 3 matches. Wednesday's match has further significance because Montreal and Vancouver are the only two United Soccer Leagues (USL) First Division teams still in contention for the Commissioner's Cup, which is awarded to the team finishing in first place in the league during the regular season. Montreal currently hold a 10-point lead over Vancouver and would clinch this title with a draw. With two titles on the line, one honouring the highest level of club soccer in Canada and the other reinforcing the significance of Canadian clubs in the predominantly-American USL, and featuring two of the top contenders for the USL First Division championship, Wednesday's match promises to be a significant celebration of Canadian soccer. RESULTS AND SCHEDULE (Home teams listed first) April 24 - Vancouver 0 Toronto 0 July 22 - Toronto 0 Montreal 1 July 24 - Montreal 2 Toronto 1 August 31 - Montreal vs. Vancouver September 2 - Toronto vs. Vancouver September 11 - Vancouver vs. Montreal FROM THE IMPACT: IMPACT HOSTS THE VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WEDNESDAY MONTREAL, August 30, 2005 - The Montreal Impact (15-2-7) plays its 25th match-up of a 28-game season against the Vancouver Whitecaps (11-4-9) on Wednesday, at Claude-Robillard Sports Complex (7:30 pm, RDS, CJAD, CKAC). CONTEXT > It is the 13th and second-to-last home game of the regular season. > With a win or a tie against Vancouver, the Impact would clinch first place in the USL D1 standings. > The Impact could therefore win the regular-season championship for the fourth time in club history, adding to the titles won in 1995, 1996, and 1997. > The Impact has qualified for the playoffs, and earned a bye into the semi-finals scheduled for the 23rd and 25th of September. > No matter who the opponent will be, the Impact is guaranteed home field advantage for the semi-finals. > The Impact has the best defence in the league, having allowed only 14 goals in 24 games played (0.58 average). > De Santis’ squad has shut out the opposition during the last 207 minutes of play. IMPACT VS VANCOUVER > This will be the first time that Whitecaps head coach Bob Lilley will face his former team since leaving the Impact after the 2003 season. > Lilley coached the Impact during the 2002 and 2003 seasons and kept an overall record of 32-15-9: 16-9-3 in 2002 and 16-6-6 in 2003. > Since 1993, the Impact has an all-time record of 16-7-2 against Vancouver. > The Impact has gone undefeated in its last six meetings with the Whitecaps (4-0-2). > Last year, the Impact shut out the Whitecaps 3-0 in Vancouver on June 11. Midfielder Antonio Ribeiro scored a goal and added an assist. Montreal then picked up a 0-0 tie against the Whitecaps, Aug. 6 at Claude-Robillard Sports Complex. > The Whitecaps sit in 3rd place in the USL D1 standings with 42 points, and still have a mathematical chance of finishing in first place. > Vancouver has not lost in five games (3-0-2) and has yet to lose at home this season (9-0-4). > Whitecaps forward Jason Jordan leads the league in scoring with 17 goals and three assists (37 points). > Striker Steve Klein sits in the top ten in league scoring, with seven goals and four assists for 18 points. > Midfielders Martin Nash and Nick Dasovic, as well as defender Josué Mayard have worn the Impact jersey in the past. NOTES > Defender Jason DiTullio will be out of the line-up for the reminder of the season. He left the match-up against Virginia Beach on August 26th in the 32nd minute, after suffering a knee injury. He will go under surgery in two weeks. > Midfielder Zé Roberto suffered a knee sprain on July 29, against the Atlanta Silverbacks. He is expected to return in time for the playoffs. > Defender Adam Braz was selected to the Canadian national team for its scheduled international friendly against Spain, September 3. He flew to Madrid on Monday and will miss the game against Vancouver. > With his sixth game-winning goal of the season against Rochester, Sunday, captain Mauro Biello equalled his previous record established in 1997. Eduardo Sebrango also scored six game-winners in 2002. > The Impact could set a new record for fewest losses in a season. The previous mark of six was set in 1996, and equalled in 2003 and 2004. > Montreal could also tie the record for fewest losses at home, which stands at one and was first set in 1996. PRE-GAME COMMENTS [links to MP3s] Nick De Santis Mauro Biello Nevio Pizzolitto UPCOMING GAMES > De Santis’ squad plays its last home game of the regular season on Sunday, September 4th, against the Minnesota Thunder (4 pm, RDS, CKAC, CJAD). > The Impact will conclude the regular season with two games out West, Friday, September 9th against the Seattle Sounders (10 pm), and Sunday, September 11th, against the Vancouver Whitecaps (7 pm). -30- Source: Patrick Vallée Info: 514-328-3668 (ext. 27) FROM THE WHITECAPS: WHITECAPS CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH August 30, 2005 - Vancouver Whitecaps clinched a playoff berth for the ninth consecutive year last weekend by virtue of their 2-0 win over the Puerto Rico Islanders on Saturday. In the Whitecaps 19 year history they have only missed the playoffs twice, in 1994 and 1996. The Whitecaps, who are currently in third place with 42 points and an 11-4-9 record, have four games remaining in the regular season. Three consecutive road games kick off tomorrow versus the Montreal Impact at 4:30 p.m. PT (TEAM 1040, RDS), the Toronto Lynx on Friday, September 2 at 5:00 p.m. PT (TEAM 1040, FSC) and the Rochester Raging Rhinos on Sunday, September 4 at 3:05 p.m. PT (TEAM 1040). The Whitecaps return to Swangard for their final regular season home game on Sunday, September 11 at 4:00 pm versus the Impact (TEAM 1040). The top six teams of the 12-team USL First Division will advance to post-season play. At the conclusion of the regular season, the first and second overall seeds will receive first round byes. All playoff rounds will be two-legged aggregate score series with the exception of the USL First Division Championship with the Host determined on a bid basis to be played on Saturday, October 1st. The Montreal Impact are currently first overall in the USL First Division with 52 points, and only need three points in their four remaining games to clinch first overall. The Rochester Raging Rhinos presently occupy second place with 45 points, 13-7-6, but only have two games remaining, against the Whitecaps and the 11th place Virginia Beach Mariners. The maximum points the Rhinos can finish with are 51, conversely the Whitecaps have the possibility of finishing with 54 points. There are a number of different scenarios; however, Sunday’s match between the Rhinos and Whitecaps will likely decide who finishes second and receives the first round bye. USL TEAM OF THE WEEK Whitecaps defender Steve Kindel, midfielder Steve Klein and forward Jason Jordan were all named to the USL First Division Team of the Week for their part in the Whitecaps 2-0 win over Puerto Rico. WHITECAPS NEXT HOME GAME The Whitecaps return to Swangard to host their final regular season home game on Sunday, September 11 at 4:00 p.m. PT. September 11 is Fan Appreciation night and less than 1,200 tickets remain! To reserve seats by phone, call Ticketmaster at 604-280-4400 or to purchase online, visit whitecapsfc.com. FROM SLAM! SPORTS, SPORTSNET, YAHOO! CANADA: By BILL BEACON MONTREAL (CP) - The defending champion Montreal Impact are looking to clinch first place in the USL First Division against the one team with a slim hope of catching them - the Vancouver Whitecaps. Montreal will need only a draw to secure top spot when it faces the surging Whitecaps on Wednesday night at Claude Robillard Stadium, where the Impact are averaging a healthy 11,299 fans per game. "We approach every home game as a big game," Impact coach Nick de Santis said Tuesday. "When you play in front of 11,000 people, the pressure's always there. "But it's a good motivator. It's a Canadian rivalry and it's an opportunity for us to secure first place. That's a big accomplishment for the team. After winning a championship, to maintain that level is always difficult." Montreal (15-2-7) has 52 points while the Whitecaps (11-4-9) have 42, each with four games to play - including another head-to-head meeting in the season finale for both clubs Sept. 11 in Vancouver. The Rochester Raging Rhinos (13-7-6) are in second place with 45 points but have only two games remaining. With three points awarded for a win, they cannot catch Montreal. The Impact's 2-0 victory over Rochester on Sunday in Sherbrooke, Que., clinched at least second place and a bye into the semifinals. Now, Vancouver is gunning for at least second place. Another motivator for Montreal is that it will be its first game against former head coach Bob Lilley, now coaching the Whitecaps. Lilley left the Impact after the 2003 season to try to catch on in Major League Soccer and joined the Whitecaps this year. Some Impact players reportedly have scores to settle, including goalkeeper Greg Sutton who had his pay cut by Lilley, although Sutton said it was not an issue. "We didn't get along as far as that went, but it wasn't personal," said Sutton. "I stuck it out and got through those times. "It's always an extra motivator to play your ex-coach. You want to prove to him that while you were successful when he was here, you're still successful. It doesn't matter if it's Bob Lilley or anyone." Under Lilley, the Impact was a strong regular season team that bowed out early in the playoffs, although it was injuries up front that probably sank the 2003 team. When former Impact midfielder de Santis took over as head coach last year, they added some offensive punch to their game and won a championship. "Bob brought in a certain defensive system that the team did well with," said de Santis. "He brought in the zone, which we had never really played. "That's something I learned from Bob -our shape and zoning defensively. Then you try to add a bit of flavour to it. I changed the way we play offensively, maybe take a few more risks and involve the fullbacks more. And we brought in some quality forwards. Often we played with one forward with Bob." Lilley's Whitecaps are not hurting offensively. Striker Jason Jordan is the USL's runaway leader with 17 goals while Steve Klein has seven. The Whitecaps are coming off a three-game homestand in which they tied Richmond 1-1 and won 3-0 over Minnesota and 2-0 over Puerto Rico. Depth has been key for the Impact. A month ago, they had six players called up to the national team for the Gold Cup tournament while striker Eddie Sebrango was out with a broken foot. In their absense, veteran forward Mauro Biello caught fire on attack, scoring two goals in a 2-0 win over Richmond on July 6, and the team kept on winning. Then two top players, midfielder Sandro Grande and striker Ali Gerba, jumped to clubs in Scandinavia, although the Impact picked up big forward Charles Gbeke from last-place Toronto. "We were lucky to get Gbeke," said de Santis. "He brought a different dimension to the team with his size. Now we have a power forward who complements Biello well." Sebrango has been back for the last two games, although he's still working himself into top form. The Impact are glad to have Sutton for the Vancouver game. National team manager Frank Yallop wanted him for a friendly match Saturday in Spain, but the Impact convinced him to leave the rangy goalkeeper behind. Instead, 'keeper Kenny Stamatopoulos of Markham, Ont., was called in by the national side from the Boden club in Sweden. Impact fullback Adam Braz did join the national squad, however. The Montreal-Vancouver match is to be broadcast live in French. (7:30 p.m. ET). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Unfortunatley winning first place means nothing in this league. Second place is where its at, and hope for an upset in the first round. That way you can play the lowest ranked team in the second round due to the leagues silly insistance on not reseeding the teams after round one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
François Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Expect a wet one tonight, it's been pooring rain since this morning. I'm taking my boat to CCR tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 quote:Originally posted by François Expect a wet one tonight, it's been pooring rain since this morning. I'm taking my boat to CCR tonight. From my recollections it rains most of the times Vancouver plays in Montreal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
François Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 The rain almost stoped, it looks like we might be lucky. This thread looks more like a weather report... Can't wait to see the Whitecaps in Montreal. Always a good match-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
François Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 The rain almost stoped, it looks like we might be lucky. This thread looks more like a weather report... Can't wait to see the Whitecaps in Montreal. Always a good match-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Vancouver will be playing 4-5-1 which always ends up biting themselves in the ass. They've lost every game this season playing that formation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted August 31, 2005 Author Share Posted August 31, 2005 quote:Originally posted by François The rain almost stoped, it looks like we might be lucky. This thread looks more like a weather report... Lucky I didn't post a satellite image like I wanted to, deciding to stick with Environment Canada's text forecast instead. Okay, one more update just before kickoff: the rain has stopped and the skies are clearing. quote:Can't wait to see the Whitecaps in Montreal. Always a good match-up.Yeah. To me this is one of the highlights of Canadian soccer so far in 2005. Doesn't anyone else care??? [V] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted August 31, 2005 Author Share Posted August 31, 2005 Antonio Ribeiro scores in the 5th minute - Montreal 1 Vancouver 0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 It's going to be a long night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted September 1, 2005 Author Share Posted September 1, 2005 Sounds like Vancouver picked things up a bit as the half wore on. Still 1-0 as the second half kicks off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted September 1, 2005 Author Share Posted September 1, 2005 Final: Montreal 1 Vancouver 0 5' MON Antonio Ribeiro Attendance was 8,917. Surely all the rain during the day kept people home. So Montreal clinch their fourth Voyageurs Cup (haven't heard any mention of it on Montreal's radio broadcast, will check out Vancouver's later but can Krammerhead tell me if they mentioned it? (I sent them an e-mail at the beginning of the match)) and the Commissioner's Cup (a name that no one but me seems to be using). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vancouver Fan Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 A league championship and a Voyageurs Cup won all in a single match.Well done Impact.We'll take the USL Cup final to go along with our Cascadia Cup.The key is to not let Montreal score first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 quote:Originally posted by DJT Final: Montreal 1 Vancouver 0 5' MON Antonio Ribeiro So Montreal clinch their fourth Voyageurs Cup (haven't heard any mention of it on Montreal's radio broadcast, will check out Vancouver's later but can Krammerhead tell me if they mentioned it? (I sent them an e-mail at the beginning of the match)) and the Commissioner's Cup (a name which no one but me seems to be using). I missed the match from the 20 minute mark on. Yes, the Vancouver play by play did mention the Voyageurs Cup, and I do beleive they mentioned the commisioners cup, but they did mention the Voyageurs cup and explained what it was about. The Vancouver radio guys always mention the Voyageurs Cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vancouver Fan Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 quote:Originally posted by DJT Final: Montreal 1 Vancouver 0 5' MON Antonio Ribeiro Attendance was 8,917. Surely all the rain during the day kept people home. So Montreal clinch their fourth Voyageurs Cup (haven't heard any mention of it on Montreal's radio broadcast, will check out Vancouver's later but can Krammerhead tell me if they mentioned it? (I sent them an e-mail at the beginning of the match)) and the Commissioner's Cup (a name that no one but me seems to be using). Yes ,the Voyageurs Cup was mentioned before the start of the match by Peter Schad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 Another clean sheet by ( presumably ) Sutton. To me thats the story of that club over the past 2-3 years. Year after year you have to marvel at the numbers they put up Goals against column and number of clean sheet. Nobody else in the league comes even close. I would venture to say that in the past 2 years they have had clean sheets in over half of their matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 One of the best goals this year in the league by Ribeiro. A shot from far in the top corner. He hit another one that caught everyone off guard a bit later and hit the crossbar with the keeper frozen to the spot. Interesting story: while preparing a report on the Rhinos-Impact rivalry at the beginning of the year, the players were asked if Rochester was their biggest rival. All said yes, except Ribeiro, who said that now that Lilley was in Vancouver, they were the top rival. He looked the best man on the pitch and came running towards us after his goal. Guess he liked "Boring, Boring, Boring Lilley"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue and White Army Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 DJT, did you record the streaming audio? I captured the Whitecaps audio, but the feed died somewhere late in the second half, possibly stoppage time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberto7 Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 quote:Originally posted by DJT Final: Montreal 1 Vancouver 0 5' MON Antonio Ribeiro Attendance was 8,917. Surely all the rain during the day kept people home. So Montreal clinch their fourth Voyageurs Cup (haven't heard any mention of it on Montreal's radio broadcast, will check out Vancouver's later but can Krammerhead tell me if they mentioned it? (I sent them an e-mail at the beginning of the match)) and the Commissioner's Cup (a name that no one but me seems to be using). In his pre-game interview on RDS, Nick De Santis mentioned the Voyageurs Cup and even said it was for the best team in Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
François Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 And the PA guy did tell everyone in the satdium afer the game that we had just won our 4th voyageurs's cup. 3 more game for the Impact to get everyone fit and ready for the 1/2 final. I hope that we see some reserve players like André Hainault in one of those games. He deserves to see some action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 Bad news about Detullio. Was this the same knee he blew out last year? Any opinions on whether he will ever recover? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 Personally, I think things are grim for DiTullio. It's the same knee (3rd time now). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonovision Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 The Ribeiro goal was featured in one of those "plays of the day" montages on Sportsnet's news show last night. Nice shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted September 2, 2005 Share Posted September 2, 2005 Had my own match, so I missed this one. Didn't even tape the damned thing I'm sorry to say. Congrats to the Impact. Once again bragging rights seem to be in French. Actually quite interested to see if the Impact can pull off a triple this year. That would make some worthy press. And as to those who have been giving the Impact some flak about their attendance numbers (not without cause), drawing a mid-week crowd of 9,000 during/post crap weather is a pretty possitive statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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