Kurosawa1555362267 Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 MAURICIO SALLES JOINS THE IMPACT MONTREAL, March 6, 2006 – Brazilian striker Mauricio Salles, who finished third in United Soccer Leagues First Division scoring last season with 14 goals, has joined the Montreal Impact. His addition, as well as the signing of new three-year contracts with midfielders Patrick Leduc and Mesut Mert, were announced at a press conference at Claude Robillard Sports Complex, Monday. Salles, who has been the Puerto Rico Islanders’ leading scorer for the last two seasons, has signed a three-year deal with the Impact, to become official pending international clearance. He had become a free agent at the end of the 2005 season. “In spite of all our success, we all know how difficult it is to aspire to a championship in an increasingly competitive league,” said team president Joey Saputo. “Our goal, however, will always be the same: to field an exciting team that will ensure the long-term development of soccer in this province.” “Salles is a very important addition for us,” noted De Santis. “He is one of the best forwards in the league. He has improved with Puerto Rico over the last two seasons. He is a spectacular player, who has a very good shot and who will bring some size to our offence. He is lethal around the net.” The presense of Leduc, 28, and Mert, who will also be turning 28 on March 13, will give the Impact depth in the midfield. The club announced a new assistant coach, Gil Orriols-Jansana, who will be responsible of the players’ physical training. The club also confirmed that assistant coaches Peter Pinizzotto and Youssef Dahha will be back with the team in 2006. Lloyd Barker was named head of youth development for the club and he will also spearhead the Impact Réno-Dépôt Soccer Schools this summer. MAURICIO SALLES Salles scored 14 goals and collected a total of 29 points last season, good for third place in the league for goals and points. His performance earned him a spot on the USL D1 First All-League Team. Salles also had an impressive shots total with 149 in two seasons (88 in 2004 and 61 in 2005). In 2004, in his USL debut, he tallied 11 goals and two assists for 24 points in 2,275 minutes of play. Salles kicked off his professional career in 1997 with Brazil’s Victoria Minerais. He also played in his native country with Atletico Pareanense and Botafogo. He had a strong season with Ecuador’s Omeldo soccer club just before beginning his USL career. PATRICK LEDUC AND MESUT MERT Leduc has been playing with the Impact ever since he made his pro debut in 2000. Only Mauro Biello and Nevio Pizzolitto have more seniority on the Montreal club. He has played 126 career games, 85 as starter, for a total of 8,519 minutes of play. The team’s third leading scorer in 2004, last year he was one of seven Impact players to earn 20 starts or more over the regular season. He made his debut with the Canadian national team in 2005, notably playing at the Gold Cup, the CONCACAF championship, in July. “Leduc has gained a lot of experience over the last few years”, said De Santis. “It is now time for him to play a more important role on the team, in terms of leadership overall but also in terms of taking on more responsibilities on the field.” Mert, who made his USL debut with the Calgary Mustangs, was one of 11 Montreal players to play 20 games or more over the 2005 regular season. He played 22 games, starting 12, for a total of 1,044 minutes of play. “Mert will give to the team more depth in midfield,” said the Impact head coach. “He showed great aptitudes in his first season with us. In 2006, we will ask more offensive production of him.” The organization also announced that goalkeeper Andrew Olivieri and midfielder Carlos Garcia will not be back with the team in 2006. For his part, defender André Hainault recently reached an agreement with club Siad Most, a 1st-division club in the Czech Republic. Hainault scored the game-winning goal in the first game he played with his new team, on February 26. GIL ORRIOLS-JANSANA Gil Orriols-Jansana worked as a physical training and high performance coach for FC Barcelona’s reserve team in the Spanish 2nd division. He also was physical training coordinator for FC Barcelona’s youth teams (U-9 to U-20), from 2003 to 2005, and for the Osana Football School youth teams from 1998 to 2001. Orriols-Jansana holds a Master degree in Sport & Physical Education Sciences, specialized in high performance, at Barcelona University. “This is the first time in club history that we hire an assistant coach specialized in physical training who will be with us all season long,” said De Santis. “He’s already been working with our players, getting them back in shape. During the season he will notably be in charge of the rehabilitation of injured players, but he will also look after our training program, while taking into account the particular constraints of the USL schedule.” TRAINING CAMP To prepare for its season opener, set for Sunday, April 23 against Miami F.C., the team will fly to Florida on April 18 to continue its training camp. The Impact will train at the Sunrise Hilton Sports Complex in Fort Lauderdale. After facing the USL expansion team, the Impact will then travel to Puerto Rico for its second game of the regular schedule, April 30 against the Islanders. Montreal’s 13th home opener in club history at Claude-Robillard Sports Complex will take place Sunday, May 21, against the Minnesota Thunder. Impact 2006 season-ticket packages are still on sale. For further information, contact the Impact ticketing office at 514-328-3668 or ticketing@impactmontreal.com. -30- Source: Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact Info: 514-328-3668 (ext. 27) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Man Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 quote:Originally posted by Kurosawa MAURICIO SALLES JOINS THE IMPACT MONTREAL, March 6, 2006 – Brazilian striker Mauricio Salles, who finished third in United Soccer Leagues First Division scoring last season with 14 goals, has joined the Montreal Impact. His addition, as well as the signing of new three-year contracts with midfielders Patrick Leduc and Mesut Mert, were announced at a press conference at Claude Robillard Sports Complex, Monday. Salles, who has been the Puerto Rico Islanders’ leading scorer for the last two seasons, has signed a three-year deal with the Impact, to become official pending international clearance. He had become a free agent at the end of the 2005 season. “In spite of all our success, we all know how difficult it is to aspire to a championship in an increasingly competitive league,” said team president Joey Saputo. “Our goal, however, will always be the same: to field an exciting team that will ensure the long-term development of soccer in this province.” “Salles is a very important addition for us,” noted De Santis. “He is one of the best forwards in the league. He has improved with Puerto Rico over the last two seasons. He is a spectacular player, who has a very good shot and who will bring some size to our offence. He is lethal around the net.” The presense of Leduc, 28, and Mert, who will also be turning 28 on March 13, will give the Impact depth in the midfield. The club announced a new assistant coach, Gil Orriols-Jansana, who will be responsible of the players’ physical training. The club also confirmed that assistant coaches Peter Pinizzotto and Youssef Dahha will be back with the team in 2006. Lloyd Barker was named head of youth development for the club and he will also spearhead the Impact Réno-Dépôt Soccer Schools this summer. MAURICIO SALLES Salles scored 14 goals and collected a total of 29 points last season, good for third place in the league for goals and points. His performance earned him a spot on the USL D1 First All-League Team. Salles also had an impressive shots total with 149 in two seasons (88 in 2004 and 61 in 2005). In 2004, in his USL debut, he tallied 11 goals and two assists for 24 points in 2,275 minutes of play. Salles kicked off his professional career in 1997 with Brazil’s Victoria Minerais. He also played in his native country with Atletico Pareanense and Botafogo. He had a strong season with Ecuador’s Omeldo soccer club just before beginning his USL career. PATRICK LEDUC AND MESUT MERT Leduc has been playing with the Impact ever since he made his pro debut in 2000. Only Mauro Biello and Nevio Pizzolitto have more seniority on the Montreal club. He has played 126 career games, 85 as starter, for a total of 8,519 minutes of play. The team’s third leading scorer in 2004, last year he was one of seven Impact players to earn 20 starts or more over the regular season. He made his debut with the Canadian national team in 2005, notably playing at the Gold Cup, the CONCACAF championship, in July. “Leduc has gained a lot of experience over the last few years”, said De Santis. “It is now time for him to play a more important role on the team, in terms of leadership overall but also in terms of taking on more responsibilities on the field.” Mert, who made his USL debut with the Calgary Mustangs, was one of 11 Montreal players to play 20 games or more over the 2005 regular season. He played 22 games, starting 12, for a total of 1,044 minutes of play. “Mert will give to the team more depth in midfield,” said the Impact head coach. “He showed great aptitudes in his first season with us. In 2006, we will ask more offensive production of him.” The organization also announced that goalkeeper Andrew Olivieri and midfielder Carlos Garcia will not be back with the team in 2006. For his part, defender André Hainault recently reached an agreement with club Siad Most, a 1st-division club in the Czech Republic. Hainault scored the game-winning goal in the first game he played with his new team, on February 26. GIL ORRIOLS-JANSANA Gil Orriols-Jansana worked as a physical training and high performance coach for FC Barcelona’s reserve team in the Spanish 2nd division. He also was physical training coordinator for FC Barcelona’s youth teams (U-9 to U-20), from 2003 to 2005, and for the Osana Football School youth teams from 1998 to 2001. Orriols-Jansana holds a Master degree in Sport & Physical Education Sciences, specialized in high performance, at Barcelona University. “This is the first time in club history that we hire an assistant coach specialized in physical training who will be with us all season long,” said De Santis. “He’s already been working with our players, getting them back in shape. During the season he will notably be in charge of the rehabilitation of injured players, but he will also look after our training program, while taking into account the particular constraints of the USL schedule.” TRAINING CAMP To prepare for its season opener, set for Sunday, April 23 against Miami F.C., the team will fly to Florida on April 18 to continue its training camp. The Impact will train at the Sunrise Hilton Sports Complex in Fort Lauderdale. After facing the USL expansion team, the Impact will then travel to Puerto Rico for its second game of the regular schedule, April 30 against the Islanders. Montreal’s 13th home opener in club history at Claude-Robillard Sports Complex will take place Sunday, May 21, against the Minnesota Thunder. Impact 2006 season-ticket packages are still on sale. For further information, contact the Impact ticketing office at 514-328-3668 or ticketing@impactmontreal.com. -30- Source: Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact Info: 514-328-3668 (ext. 27) Get him a Canadian passport just in time for 2010. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeffery S. Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Though I have not heard of the guy who had been with Barça, there was a bit of house-cleaning last season with youth coaches being fired and especially a coach who had come in to head youth development from the Escola de Futbol d'Osona (thus a spelling error there), whose contract was not renewed. Him not being rehired was pretty well political, though results were not great, and I would imagine this guy Orriols Jansana had gone into the Barça system with him. A quick search shows he is a competitive long-distance alpine skier (high mountain marathons and the like) and has taught mountain orienteering, think it is called (or orientation). I wonder if he is on sabbatical from teaching or doing research in Montreal and picked this up as a complement, as he was teaching at the Catalan Physical Education Institute, the BA program. Doubt he'd make more with the Impact. I know this football school in Osona well as I weekend in that district and often watch teams play up there, it is in the low mountains around a high plain near the Pyrenees. A hotbed not of football but of motorsports, I could name almost a dozen world champs in diverse competitions coming out of this small area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bxl Boy Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 The new guy from Montreal is more a physical preparation specialist than an assistant coach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeffery S. Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 quote:Originally posted by Bxl Boy The new guy from Montreal is more a physical preparation specialist than an assistant coach Exactly, he is not a football coach at all but a high performance specialist. I would imagine he knows his stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Impact Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Any news as to what Andrew Olivieri plans to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bxl Boy Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 He wasn't there but according to what he said to RDS last week, he's searching to continue his pro career, elsewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bxl Boy Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 He wasn't there but according to what he said to RDS last week, he's searching to continue his pro career, elsewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankiboy Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Mauricio Salles is a GREAT PLAYER! AN OFFENSIVE THREAT THAT CAN BOTH SCORE AND CREATE GREAT GOALS!!! Congratulations Impact Fans! What a great signing. He was and still is loved in Puerto Rico. I am sorry that we let him go. He is probably the MOST POPULAR player to ever wear a Puerto Rico Islanders jersey. YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO LOVE HIM!!! He is freaking GREAT with the fans. He didn't just win the supporters hearts with his many goals (25 in 51 USL games--an excellent rate especially considering the lack of talent around him the first season that we were in the A)--he also won them over with his respect for the fans, and his friendly, accessible nature. Women love Mauricio. Dudes love Mauricio. The kiddies love Mauricio. He is incredibly intelligent in that way. I have rearely seen a player that seems to charm fans the way that guy does. No disrespect to this league but Mauricio should be playing in a league with more stature. Who knows, maybe he will catch on with the TO MLS franchise after he has a good season this year. I freaking love that guy... WE WILL MISS MAURICIO!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankiboy Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 quote:Originally posted by G-Man Get him a Canadian passport just in time for 2010. G, You read my freaking mind. That is one of the thinks I was thinking about last night. The Puerto Rican Federation was unable to convince him to play for PR. But Canada has a drastically different situation and resources. Maybe you guys will have a better chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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