MONTREAL - There were no flashy new signings on the field as the Montreal Impact opened camp Monday. Mark Grace Jersey . But there was a new head coach in Frank Klopas, the former Chicago Fire boss who hopes to take the Impact further this season with mostly the same personnel. "I know the team from playing against them," said Klopas, who was hired Dec. 18 to replace Marco Schallibaum. "I knew I was coming to a team with a good foundation to build on." Missing from his first 90-minute workout on the indoor pitch at Marie Victorin College were Italian defender Alessandro Nesta, who has retired, and former captain Davy Arnaud, now with D.C. United. Midfielder Andres Romero was also absent, but only temporarily due to a visa problem. Reserve midfielder Andrea Pisanu was let go. What was really missing was the presence of any new talent to make up for the loss of two key veterans and to raise hopes the club may go farther than in 2013 when they squeaked into the playoffs in only their second Major League Soccer season. It was main rival, Toronto FC, that stole the off-season spotlight with big money signings — Tottenham forward Jermain Defoe and U.S. international midfielder Michael Bradley. In Montreal, management was quiet, although they hope to bring in two or three new faces before the season opens in March. "Great for Toronto and great for the league," said Impact midfielder Patrice Bernier. "They were talking about the league in a lot of places. "Its their eighth season so I guess for their ticket holders, they had to bring something. But now theres added-on pressure because theyre going to have eyes like L.A. and New York on them for pretty much the whole season. "But I concentrate on our team. Weve got pretty much the same team and I think the organization will be looking at bringing in that extra two or three players that can bring us across the edge so we have more depth and are strong all year long." For now, the Impact has only 22 roster players and one of them, Spanish defender Adrian Lopez, wont be ready until April after knee surgery. Returning starters include goalkeeper Troy Perkins, central defenders Matteo Ferrari and Nelson Rivas, fullbacks Jeb Brovsky and Hassoun Camara, midfielders Bernier, Hernan Bernardello, Justin Mapp, and Felipe Martins and striker Marco Di Vaio, a 20-goal scorer. Veteran goalie Evan Bush, midfielders Sanna Nyassi, Collen Warner and Blake Smith and forward Andrew Wenger are also back. Klopas said hell likely wait until after the first phase of camp to name a captain but is leaning toward assistants Bernier and Di Vaio. The 34-year-old Bernier, of Brossard, Que., would welcome wearing the armband. "It would be a logical next step, having been the assistant behind Davy," he said. "It would be great, coming from here, to have the captaincy and hopefully hold it for the rest of my career. "That would be a great ending." Its Berniers third season with the Impact and hes on his third head coach after Jesse Marsch led the way in the teams 2012 MLS expansion season before Schallibaum arrived last year. Camara goes one farther as he has been with the Impact five years, since before they were in MLS, and has had five different coaches. "Its part of the game," said Bernier, who spent most of his career in Europe. "This is may be my 15th coach in 13 years. Its something that happens. "The office realizes we needed someone to bring us to another level. The decisions been made and Im looking at 2014. I thank Marco for 2013. We had a good year." The Impact was the talk of MLS through the first half of 2013, and not just because Schallibaum got suspended four times for sideline tantrums. They were first in the league at mid-season and had won the Amway Canadian championship, although they crashed out in the first round of CONCACAF Champions League play. They faltered down the stretch and just made it into the fifth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. They were dominated 3-0 by Houston in their only post-season game, which saw Di Vaio and Romero ejected for initiating a skirmish. Both will be suspended for the first three games of this season. Bernier liked what he saw of Klopas when he coached Chicago, particularly his ability to make in-game adjustments when his team was behind. The 47-year-old Klopas hopes to get Montreal to play sounder team defence and figures the Impact has enough up front to provide goals. Hes already had dinner and a chat with Di Vaio, who will turn 38 on July 15. "I hope to do well like I did last year," said Di Vaio. "I want to score goals. I dont know how many, but to score goals to help the team. "Last year we did better than the year before and this year we have to try to be better. Last year we did well up to the last 10 matches, so we have to find a way to keep it going and do well through the entire season." One newcomer was former OFI Crete defender Nikos Kounenakis, who has not officially signed as an assistant coach but is likely to do so soon. Klopas wants him to handle the defence. "Nick played at a high level, he has a UEFA Pro license, hes played in the back line and I think he can complement the coaches we have," said Klopas, also a former Greek league player. Also in camp are four players taken in the MLS SuperDraft, including first pick Eric Miller and forward and Edmonton native Jordan Ongaro. Three players from the Impacts under-23 squad were also invited. Dennis Eckersley Jersey . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Leon Durham Jersey .com) - A pair of Eastern Conference rivals will meet on Saturday as D. http://www.customcubsjersey.com/custom-ron-cey-jersey-large-1090n.html . -- Tiago Splitter tipped in a rebound with 2.UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Thanks to the stellar play of rookie goaltender Reto Berra, the Calgary Flames won for the sixth time in seven games. David Jones scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period and the Berra made 28 saves as the Calgary Flames beat the New York Islanders 4-2 Thursday night. "Reto was simply outstanding. He was the guy who kept us in the game and gave us a chance," Flames coach Bob Hartley said. "He made big saves early and gave us a chance. Then we started skating better and executing better." Jones banked the puck off the Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov from a sharp angle at 14:28 to lift the Flames to their first at Nassau Coliseum since 2004. Mikael Backlund added an empty-net goal for the Flames, his 14th of the season. The 27-year-old Berra, who will join Anaheims Jonas Hiller with Switzerlands team at the upcoming Winter Games in Sochi, improved to 8-15-2 and won for the first time in regulation. Sean Monahan and Dennis Wideman scored in the second period to put Calgary ahead 2-0. But the Islanders rallied to tie it on goals by defencemen Thomas Hickey and Calvin de Haan. The Islanders went on the power play with three minutes left when Jiri Hudler was called for hooking but couldnt muster much of an attack. Monahans team-leading 16th goal opened the scoring at 14:15 of the second when he wristed a loose puck from outside the crease over Nabokovs left shoulder. The 19-year-old rookie centre was the sixth overall pick by the Flames in last Junes draft. Wideman made it 2-0 at 18:08 with a snapshot from the slot, his fourth of the season. Hickey cut the deficit in half at 19:53 of the second, snapping the puck past Berra for his fourth of the season. The Islanders tied it at 7:31 of the third when de Haan blasted a shot past Berra. John Tavares and Thomas Vanek had assists on the second goal of the season for the rookie defenceman. It was the first point in five games for Tavares, who is second in league scoring with 23 goaals and 42 assists, 12 points behind Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby. Moises Alou Jersey. The loss left Tavares exasperated once again. "We seem to find more way to lose than win," he said. The Flames had only 22 shots but made them count. Calgary (22-28-7) finishes its road trip with a visit to Philadelphia on Saturday before the Olympic break. Calgary swept a five-game homestand before losing at Montreal 2-0 on Tuesday. "We worked hard and earned out chances," said centre Matt Stajan, who was originally credited with the go-ahead goal. "We didnt give up, kept the pressure on them and it paid off for us." The Islanders (22-29- were within five points of a playoff spot when they beat the Rangers 5-3 on Jan. 21 but six losses in seven games has essentially ruined their post-season hopes. After the game, the Islanders traded forwards Peter Regin and Pierre-Marc Bouchard to the Chicago Blackhawks for a fourth-round pick in this Junes draft. Regin, who was scratched against Calgary, had two goals and five assists in 44 games. Bouchard was playing for AHL Bridgeport after four goals and five assists in 28 games. The Islanders were starting a five-game homestand before and after the Olympic break. Theyll host Colorado on Saturday before the NHL season halts for the Winter Games at Sochi. Theyll resume against Toronto on Feb. 27. "We have to simplify our game and just get better with execution," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. The Islanders had won three straight and five of six against Flames, including the last three on Long Island. The teams last met Dec. 29, 2011, when the Islanders won 3-1. The last time the Flames won at Nassau was Jan. 6, 2004. The Islanders are 19-7-3 when they score at least three goals and are 3-22-5 when they do not. NOTES: The teams will play again March 7 in Calgary. ... The Islanders remained without defenceman Travis Hamonic (upper body). ... The Flames were missing goaltender Karri Ramo (knee) and forward Curtis Glencross (ankle). ' ' '  |
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