Montreal Impact changes for 2013

[NSSoccer]

As much as some don't like it. I'm all for Saputo staking his MLS claim on Italy. Sure the best players will play Serie A/B, but there are always players stuck in the middle, either on a bad team or because of a string of bad luck (injuries, coaching preferences, etc) are looking to start anew. MLS offers a steady paycheck and is an option that seems more and more fruitious for young players who can't catch a break in Europe. Montreal is a home away from home for italians. Italy is an untapped market from an MLS standpoint, as everyone is fixated on South/Central America.

[Macksam]

Apparently Karl William Ouimette came on in the 52'nd minute for Nesta during Montreal's 1-0 win over Fiorentina. Does anybody know if he held up well?

[Go_Impact]

I thought the W was for Waskiewicz. I don't know how he did today, I could not watch the game, but he played well againts their academy according to Nick Sabetti.

http://www.goal.com/en-ca/news/4175/major-league-soccer/2012/11/14/3527474/nick-sabetti-eullaffroy-and-the-impact-academy-closing-the?source=breakingnews

[mtlfan]

Apparently Karl William Ouimette came on in the 52'nd minute for Nesta during Montreal's 1-0 win over Fiorentina. Does anybody know if he held up well?

He played very well.

[Macksam]

He played very well.

I'm glad to hear that and figured as much considering he's a CB and his team won. Overall, Montreal should be proud of this considering the Viola have been playing well of late.

[tmcmurph]

Italy is an untapped market from an MLS standpoint, as everyone is fixated on South/Central America.

... or Scottish ...

[pappinchris]

Anyone think we will grab anyone from re-entry draft?

My "choices"

Segares? LB/step up on Brovsky BUT he would count as Intl I believe (Costa Rica)

Gjertsen ? Slightly kidding on this one but he is a former impact player (USL Days) and might be a slight improvement on Mapp lol.

[Alberto7]

Josh Gardner sent to Sporting KC for a second round pick in the Superdraft:

http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/news/2012/12/impact-acquires-second-round-pick-2013-mls-superdraft

[pappinchris]

Josh Gardner sent to Sporting KC for a second round pick in the Superdraft:

http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/news/2012/12/impact-acquires-second-round-pick-2013-mls-superdraft

We were not going to play him anyways so not too bad...

[Mr.Impact]

We were not going to play him anyways so not too bad...

Thats a heck of a return, for a guy we were willing to let walk for nothing.

[Keegan]

Thats a heck of a return, for a guy we were willing to let walk for nothing.

And you should be able to grab Bekker or Welshman to fill a Canadian spot

[Soccerpro]

And you should be able to grab Bekker or Welshman to fill a Canadian spot

Hopefully they don't turn into the next Evan James.

[Macksam]

Hopefully they don't turn into the next Evan James.

Becker was one of the more consistent guys on the U23 team. I think he'd be a great choice for any MLS team.

[fuzzx]

And you should be able to grab Bekker or Welshman to fill a Canadian spot

That shouldn't be an issue anymore.

Barring the unexpected, Maxime Crepeau will be signed as a third goalie. Given how talented the Perkins/Bush combo is, I can't imagine them wanting to look outside the system for a goalie.

And with any luck, by the time Bernier retires they'll be more Canadian academy talent on the main roster.

[Sam]

Becker was one of the more consistent guys on the U23 team. I think he'd be a great choice for any MLS team.

Yeah Bekker really surprised me during the tournament, he was solid and offered something moving the ball forward as well. I can see him becoming a starting box-to-box midfielder in MLS.

[Alberto7]

Bryan Arguez, Bernardo Corradi and Miguel Montano are released by the Impact:

http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/news/2012/12/impact-exercises-2013-options-11-players

2013 roster (as of December 7, 2012)

Goalkeepers (2): Bush, Perkins

Defenders (8): Brovsky, Camara, Ferrari, Iapichino, Nesta, Ouimette, Rivas, Valentin

Midfielders (8): Arnaud, Bernier, Felipe, Mallace, Neagle, Nyassi, Ubiparipovic, Warner

Forwards (2): Di Vaio, Wenger

[ThiKu]

Well there you go. Will bring in a GK and at least two forwards. Can anyone guess what country the forward is likely to come from? I imagine they'll want to draft a defender as a couple of those fella's are aging.

[Keano]

Surprised to see they've re-signed Mapp. At his expense there are 4 guys on every MLS team who can do what he does for cheaper. Which is, come in at 60 minutes, make an exciting run down the wing that cuts into the middle, refuse to pass to DiVaio, then shoot wide from 45 yards. In the team website article they mention working with the technical staff to get more consistency in his game. Isn't that what they usually say about 21 year old kids, not visibly slowing veterans? Not trying to be a negative nancy but I got tired of watching him waste opportunities over and over just because one time that move worked. I hope that it's just a matter of getting to know his teammates but he seemed so boneheadedly (real word) reluctant to pass.

[youllneverwalkalone]

I read on twitter that Martin Andermatt is thought to be the new manager. Pretty good CV:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Andermatt

[Keano]

I read on twitter that Martin Andermatt is thought to be the new manager. Pretty good CV:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Andermatt

Very nice.. although what it says is only that they've offered him the position, and that he has also been offered the reins at Zurich.

[Soccerpro]

I read on twitter that Martin Andermatt is thought to be the new manager. Pretty good CV:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Andermatt

Does he still have that sweet mullet?

[Soccerpro]

Surprised to see they've re-signed Mapp. At his expense there are 4 guys on every MLS team who can do what he does for cheaper. Which is, come in at 60 minutes, make an exciting run down the wing that cuts into the middle, refuse to pass to DiVaio, then shoot wide from 45 yards. In the team website article they mention working with the technical staff to get more consistency in his game. Isn't that what they usually say about 21 year old kids, not visibly slowing veterans? Not trying to be a negative nancy but I got tired of watching him waste opportunities over and over just because one time that move worked. I hope that it's just a matter of getting to know his teammates but he seemed so boneheadedly (real word) reluctant to pass.

Agreed

[madmonte]

Surprised to see they've re-signed Mapp. At his expense there are 4 guys on every MLS team who can do what he does for cheaper. Which is, come in at 60 minutes, make an exciting run down the wing that cuts into the middle, refuse to pass to DiVaio, then shoot wide from 45 yards. In the team website article they mention working with the technical staff to get more consistency in his game. Isn't that what they usually say about 21 year old kids, not visibly slowing veterans? Not trying to be a negative nancy but I got tired of watching him waste opportunities over and over just because one time that move worked. I hope that it's just a matter of getting to know his teammates but he seemed so boneheadedly (real word) reluctant to pass.

*cough* JDG getting a rebound or corner outside the box and 20 feet wide once a game, too, for that matter. For Canada OR TFC. I've mentioned this tendency before, and now that I think about it, JDG and Mapp both do the same thing...way overly hopefuly for a shot with a 3% success rate.

[Grizzly]

Surprised to see they've re-signed Mapp. At his expense there are 4 guys on every MLS team who can do what he does for cheaper. Which is, come in at 60 minutes, make an exciting run down the wing that cuts into the middle, refuse to pass to DiVaio, then shoot wide from 45 yards. In the team website article they mention working with the technical staff to get more consistency in his game. Isn't that what they usually say about 21 year old kids, not visibly slowing veterans? Not trying to be a negative nancy but I got tired of watching him waste opportunities over and over just because one time that move worked. I hope that it's just a matter of getting to know his teammates but he seemed so boneheadedly (real word) reluctant to pass.

I have the exact opposite reaction and while I am also surprised he was signed it is a pleasant surprise. If there are 4 guys on every MLS team that can do what Mapp does I sure am not seeing them. He is a rare technically gifted player with vision who can make accurate long passes and has decent speed but not a lot of stamina (60 minutes a game player).

The main problem with Mapp this year was that the Mapp-Di Vaio partnership did not work out very well. Before Di Viao joined the Impact, Mapp was consistently one of our best players. The expectation was if you added a DP striker then he would make a very good tandem with our best passing midfielder. Di Vaio, however, did not prove to be very capable at shaking defenders and getting free and if someone is going to pass to him, especially at a distance from the wings they have to have a target to pass to. Typically Mapp would break down the left side and Di Vaio would run down the centre with one defender covering him. For the whole run Mapp would be looking over and expecting Di Vaio to get past, feint, slow down or do something to get free of the coverage and Di Vaio would just continue to run with the defender leaving Mapp no other option but to shoot. Then afterwards Di Vaio would come over to bitch at Mapp for not passing. And the few times he would get free and Mapp would get him the ball, Di Vaio would shoot it 10 feet over the goal and then run over to Mapp to bitch about the pass because obviously it was Mapp's fault that he couldn't hit the net. Indeed there was almost nothing Mapp could do that would not lead to Di Vaio running over to him and bitching afterwards so he pretty much stopped passing to him for which I do not blame him at all. And with Di Vaio being the lone guy up front most of the time, the other guys that Mapp used to pass effectively to were no longer in position to receive passes so he ended up shooting a lot (Mapp almost always looks to pass before shooting).

It is pretty clear to see how much Mapp's playing time decreased shortly after Di Vaio's arrival which is why I am pleasantly surprised that Mapp was re-signed. Hopefully it signifies that the Impact are also aware of some of Di Vaio's many shortcomings. And yes Di Vaio did not impress me very much this year, as far as I can see he seems to be a percentage striker, ie. give him enough chances and he will score but not a very high finishing rate. He has decent speed but lacks a lot of trickiness and ability to shake defenders. He has a hard but not very accurate shot so the occasional highlight reel goal but a lot of misses. His passing ability is mediocre but he is decent at short passes. His strength seems to be running around inside the box and making short passes so that is why he worked well at times with Felipe and Bernier. When Felipe is out on the wing he will rarely pass into the box and will usually run inside so it is not very hard for Di Vaio to get free enough for a passing play with Felipe. On the other hand for someone like Mapp who will usually stay to the outside and look to pass the ball into the centre it is much harder to find Di Vaio. And that is a big drawback when Di Vaio is playing a lone target forward role like he did this year. Obviously we still need one more quality striker on the team so hopefully we will get someone who will allow everyone to be employed in a formation more suited for their abilities. And possibly with a better midfield Di Vaio will get a lot more chances next year so will score a lot more but still in a lot of areas he was a lot less than I was expecting from an experienced Serie A striker. Possibly what we need is a real target striker with Di Vaio playing more of a withdrawn striker role.

Whoever is chosen as our new coach, I hope they are able to get Di Vaio's attitude under control. He is constantly bitching at his teammates and Mapp can not be the only player who has gotten annoyed by this. The Serie A players seem to all have surprisingly little bad/arrogant attitude so far which would be great if Di Vaio was not providing the other's portions on his own.

[Keano]

I have the exact opposite reaction and while I am also surprised he was signed it is a pleasant surprise. If there are 4 guys on every MLS team that can do what Mapp does I sure am not seeing them. He is a rare technically gifted player with vision who can make accurate long passes and has decent speed but not a lot of stamina (60 minutes a game player).

The main problem with Mapp this year was that the Mapp-Di Vaio partnership did not work out very well. Before Di Viao joined the Impact, Mapp was consistently one of our best players. The expectation was if you added a DP striker then he would make a very good tandem with our best passing midfielder. Di Vaio, however, did not prove to be very capable at shaking defenders and getting free and if someone is going to pass to him, especially at a distance from the wings they have to have a target to pass to. Typically Mapp would break down the left side and Di Vaio would run down the centre with one defender covering him. For the whole run Mapp would be looking over and expecting Di Vaio to get past, feint, slow down or do something to get free of the coverage and Di Vaio would just continue to run with the defender leaving Mapp no other option but to shoot. Then afterwards Di Vaio would come over to bitch at Mapp for not passing. And the few times he would get free and Mapp would get him the ball, Di Vaio would shoot it 10 feet over the goal and then run over to Mapp to bitch about the pass because obviously it was Mapp's fault that he couldn't hit the net. Indeed there was almost nothing Mapp could do that would not lead to Di Vaio running over to him and bitching afterwards so he pretty much stopped passing to him for which I do not blame him at all. And with Di Vaio being the lone guy up front most of the time, the other guys that Mapp used to pass effectively to were no longer in position to receive passes so he ended up shooting a lot (Mapp almost always looks to pass before shooting).

It is pretty clear to see how much Mapp's playing time decreased shortly after Di Vaio's arrival which is why I am pleasantly surprised that Mapp was re-signed. Hopefully it signifies that the Impact are also aware of some of Di Vaio's many shortcomings. And yes Di Vaio did not impress me very much this year, as far as I can see he seems to be a percentage striker, ie. give him enough chances and he will score but not a very high finishing rate. He has decent speed but lacks a lot of trickiness and ability to shake defenders. He has a hard but not very accurate shot so the occasional highlight reel goal but a lot of misses. His passing ability is mediocre but he is decent at short passes. His strength seems to be running around inside the box and making short passes so that is why he worked well at times with Felipe and Bernier. When Felipe is out on the wing he will rarely pass into the box and will usually run inside so it is not very hard for Di Vaio to get free enough for a passing play with Felipe. On the other hand for someone like Mapp who will usually stay to the outside and look to pass the ball into the centre it is much harder to find Di Vaio. And that is a big drawback when Di Vaio is playing a lone target forward role like he did this year. Obviously we still need one more quality striker on the team so hopefully we will get someone who will allow everyone to be employed in a formation more suited for their abilities. And possibly with a better midfield Di Vaio will get a lot more chances next year so will score a lot more but still in a lot of areas he was a lot less than I was expecting from an experienced Serie A striker. Possibly what we need is a real target striker with Di Vaio playing more of a withdrawn striker role.

Whoever is chosen as our new coach, I hope they are able to get Di Vaio's attitude under control. He is constantly bitching at his teammates and Mapp can not be the only player who has gotten annoyed by this. The Serie A players seem to all have surprisingly little bad/arrogant attitude so far which would be great if Di Vaio was not providing the other's portions on his own.

DiVaio is a whole other story and I agree somewhat though not as strongly with your assessment of his overly direct and uncreative runs. But his own shortcomings don't make Mapp a creative genius either. I saw a guy who has one move and tries it all the time whether or not it's the right play, AND can't pull it off with much consistency.