Impact Prepare For Big Season -Updated

[MM2]

Montreal opened training yesterday in preparation for the 2008 season

www.insidesoccer.net/?p=829

[redhat]

Almost missed this part :
" In other team news, Charles Gbeke who is currently in Brazil, is expected to be invited to the National Team winter camp."

I thought he was from Ivory Coast or Liberia ...

[Kurosawa]

Ivory Coast but never capped with anyone.

[VPjr]

wow...that's actually newsworthy. I assumed he was inelligible for Canada.

[MM2]

According to the roster released by the Impact his citizenship is listed as Canadian.

[Daniel]

I think he emigrated around 12.

[RJB]

I love that they are starting this early. Talk about committment from the club! Can anyone say what kind of wages these guys are on? What is allowing them to start training this early?

[Grizzly]

Having seen Gbeke play this year I can't say I am very happy about him getting called to the MNT if that is true even if it is a B side. Great speed but horrible soccer skills and he needs a lot of chances before he can convert one. Not really any serious chance of being on the WCQ and he is already 29. I would rather see a young player get selected.

[rick titus]

Actually Grizzly don't depair so much. I have played with and against Gbeke for over seven years, and he is a beast!!! He single-handedly won games for Montreal coming off the bench last year, and is more than a handful when he is on point. He is actually one of the more skillful big men I've played against, and internationally he will be very good if he is paired with Friend, Gerba, or maybe even DeRo. Gbeke is the strongest player in the A-league in the air, and he scores with both feet. He is dangerous all the time. Once in a while he doesn't play his best, but I think that has more to do with DeSantis not starting him when he scores four goals in two games against Rochester. Do you know that he only played about twenty minutes in the final game for the Impact after destroying the league in the month prior to playoffs? He was not treated right last year with the Impact, and was still one of the leagues top scorers! Have faith Grizz the boys got game!

[Cashcleaner]

Good luck this season, Impact. I'm actually hoping to make it out that way for a game in the summer. Hopefully, though, we'll be seeing you guys in MLS before too long.

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by rick titus

Actually Grizzly don't depair so much. I have played with and against Gbeke for over seven years, and he is a beast!!! He single-handedly won games for Montreal coming off the bench last year, and is more than a handful when he is on point. He is actually one of the more skillful big men I've played against, and internationally he will be very good if he is paired with Friend, Gerba, or maybe even DeRo. Gbeke is the strongest player in the A-league in the air, and he scores with both feet. He is dangerous all the time. Once in a while he doesn't play his best, but I think that has more to do with DeSantis not starting him when he scores four goals in two games against Rochester. Do you know that he only played about twenty minutes in the final game for the Impact after destroying the league in the month prior to playoffs? He was not treated right last year with the Impact, and was still one of the leagues top scorers! Have faith Grizz the boys got game!


I noticed that you didn't mention anything about his "Finishing abilities". No doubt, you have seen him much more than I have but, correct me if I am off base, from what I recall, he gets chances and has all the skills you mentioned but I have to wonder if he might be playing at another level if he buried a few more of those chances.

[Mpenza]

On a good day, Gbeke will score twice on 3 half-chances.
But on regular day, he will spoil 3 huge opportunities before he scores one goal...
And on a off day, he looks like a guy who could possibly do anything but score (he's going to hit the post, the crossbar, the goalie's head, the defender's butt, his own teammate and even sometimes fool 80 % of the stadium with a shot that clearly looks like it's in but in fact isn't).

We've had a bit of everything mentioned here last season with Gbeke.

[Calgary Boomer]

Gbeke and Gerba would be a handful up front for Canada...

[Calgary Boomer]

Gbeke and Gerba would be a handful up front for Canada...

[Daniel]

Like Rick said, Gbeke is a handful for any defender and that wears the defenders out, eventually helping create scoring chances.

He's VERY good on crosses and nearly always gets first to thoses balls. Cross it to him and he WILL score, and that makes him by far Montreal's most clutch player.

As for the January camp being a "B team", I think that's what we usually expect from those camps. That being said, we'll have a chance to see how he plays against 2nd and 3rd division sides from Portugal and Italy.

[VPjr]

I am very impressed with the Impact management starting their camp so early and committing to training overseas. Sure, they're not going over to play against top sides but it's still very impressive.

Hats off to Mr. Saputo et al. they definitely run their USL club the right way.

any progress on the stadium lately? or is work shut down due to bad weather.

[Daniel]

quote:Originally posted by VPjr
any progress on the stadium lately? or is work shut down due to bad weather.


The main structure work was pretty much done in Decmeber, what's left is office space and things like lockers, bathrooms at this point.

[Kurosawa]

Another player signs a new contact, Nevio will once again play with the Impact. THe direction wanted to see the state of his knee before signing him.

[Kurosawa]

http://www.montrealimpact.com/News/News.aspx?language=EN&ArticleID=823

Three games in Italy, Frosinone, Arrezzo and Viterbese.

Roster:

IMPACT ROSTER IN ITALY
NAME - POSITION
AABOUBOU Hicham - D
AGUILAR Luis - D
ARANGO Andres - D
BABINEAU Olivier - M
BIELLO Mauro - M
BRAZ Adam - D
BROWN Roberto - F
DEGEER Daniel - M
DI IOIA Massimo - F
DI LORENZO Leonardo - M
GATTI Simon - M
GJERTSEN Joey - F
JOQUEVIEL Cédric - D
JORDAN Matt - G
LEDUC Patrick - M
MATONDO Sita-Taty - F
NUNEZ Christian - M
OKA Arsene - M
OLIVIERI Andrew - G
PALLESCHI Matthew - M
PIZZOLITTO Nevio - D
SURPRENANT Alex - D
TESTO David - M
WEBER Andrew - G

[Blue and White Army]

quote:Originally posted by Kurosawa
AABOUBOU Hicham - D
Well, someone wanted to be first in the phone book, didn't they?

[Trident]

quote:Originally posted by Blue and White Army


quote:Originally posted by Kurosawa
AABOUBOU Hicham - D
Well, someone wanted to be first in the phone book, didn't they?




Aaboubou Aaboubou Aaboubouuuuuu
Aaboubou Aaboubou Aaboubouuuuuuuu
Aaboubou Aaboubou Aaboubou
Aaboubou AABOUBOU!


:D

[Mpenza]

That's always fun to sing... :)

Sometimes I wish they'd call the goals like they do in most stadiums in Europe: scream the first name and let the fans scream the last name.

Hicham! AABOUBOU!
Hicham! AABOUBOU!
Hicham! AABOUBOU!

Of course, he'd have to score a goal. :D

[Alberto7]

First day of training in Italy. Looks terrific there!

http://impactmontreal.com/photo_front_page/day1.jpg



http://impactmontreal.com/News/News.aspx?language=EN&ArticleID=824&Focus=0


FIUGGI, Italy – Less than 24 hours after landing at Leonardo da Vinci Airport, in Rome, the Montreal Impact took part, Monday morning, in its first training session in the city of Fiuggi, where the team will stay until February 1st. The Impact kicked off its winter pre-season camp in Europe with sunny conditions and a temperature of 13 degrees Celsius.

“The weather is perfect to play and we couldn’t ask for more,” said Montreal Impact head coach Nick De Santis. “The team worked well this morning. Over the next few days, it will be a good mix of physical preparation and ball possession. Even if we are three months away from the beginning of the regular season, the team’s morale is very good, so it’s positive.”

For their first training session overseas, De Santis and his technical team opted for intensity.

“Today’s training was good since it helped us to get rid of the toxins accumulated during the trip,” said veteran midfielder Patrick Leduc. “We also have to overcome fatigue due to the six-hour time difference. This morning’s intensive physical effort will help us for the next training sessions.”

“After the usual warm-up, the coaching staff made us work hard with good physical drills, as well as ball possession,” explained defender Adam Braz, who is back to Montreal, after signing a two-year deal last Friday.

The training field in Fiuggi, located approximately two kilometres from the hotel, is surrounded by mountains.

“It’s very nice and the landscape is amazing,” added Leduc. “It’s great to train on natural grass at this time of the year, it’s actually quite unusual for us.”

“We are very well organized,” noted De Santis. “The field is in great condition, we are well-treated by the hotel staff and the food is excellent.”

The Impact will pursue its training camp with two sessions a day, before playing the first of three exhibition games this Thursday against Arezzo (Serie C – third division).

-30-

Source : Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact

[Kurosawa]

quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

That's always fun to sing... :)

Sometimes I wish they'd call the goals like they do in most stadiums in Europe: scream the first name and let the fans scream the last name.

Hicham! AABOUBOU!
Hicham! AABOUBOU!
Hicham! AABOUBOU!

Of course, he'd have to score a goal. :D
He would have to play for more than fifteen minutes in the season for that to happen.

[MM2]

The Impact sign two more players, Cristian Nunez ex TFC reserve player and 18 year-old Alex Surprenant from their development team in Trois Riviéres.

I saw Surprenant play last summer, a good prospect, should have a chance with the 2009 U-20s.

[Kurosawa]

Mtl Impact 0 - Arezzo 0


http://montrealimpact.com/News/News.aspx?language=EN&ArticleID=827

[Soju]

Is any other USL team training this early let alone training abroad? Saputo sounds like a cool guy

[Daniel]

quote:Originally posted by Soju

Is any other USL team training this early let alone training abroad?


Nope.

[Massive Attack]

quote:Originally posted by Kurosawa

Mtl Impact 0 - Arezzo 0


http://montrealimpact.com/News/News.aspx?language=EN&ArticleID=827


Great result for Impact de Montrèal. Here's a few more pics from Arezzo's website:

http://www.arezzocalcio.it/archivio/notizia.php?art=1165

Arezzo have spent a few years in Serie B and are making a push to get back there.

[Trident]

quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

That's always fun to sing... :)

Sometimes I wish they'd call the goals like they do in most stadiums in Europe: scream the first name and let the fans scream the last name.

Hicham! AABOUBOU!
Hicham! AABOUBOU!
Hicham! AABOUBOU!

Of course, he'd have to score a goal. :D


It's fun to sing, tough to type.

I wish they would call goals like that as well, better than a lovely horn after we score. That makes no sense

[Trident]

quote:Originally posted by Kurosawa


quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

That's always fun to sing... :)

Sometimes I wish they'd call the goals like they do in most stadiums in Europe: scream the first name and let the fans scream the last name.

Hicham! AABOUBOU!
Hicham! AABOUBOU!
Hicham! AABOUBOU!

Of course, he'd have to score a goal. :D
He would have to play for more than fifteen minutes in the season for that to happen.


I remember Hicham hitting the cross bar to almost pull us to a win, after being subbed on less than a minute earlier.

[Richard]

quote:Originally posted by Soju

Is any other USL team training this early let alone training abroad? Saputo sounds like a cool guy
The Whitecaps training camp opened on Tuesday (January 22).

[Trident]

Is it true that TOFC has their first game 4 days after their camp opens?

[Toronto Ruffrider]

quote:Originally posted by Trident

Is it true that TOFC has their first game 4 days after their camp opens?


TFC opens its camp on February 1st, while its first regular season game is not until March 29th.

http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20080124&content_id=136437&vkey=pr_mls&fext=.jsp
http://toronto.fc.mlsnet.com/schedule/season.jsp?team=t280

[Sam]

I think Trident is referring to the Feb 5th exhibition games vs. DC United which is indeed 4 days after training starts.

[Keano]

Anyone know why Gervais isn't in the Italy lineups? Is he injured again or did he end up in Florida with Gbeke?

[Mpenza]

Gervais is in the process of getting an MBA from McGill.
Note that Vincello isn't on the trip either, he's in Argentina.

[SthMelbRed]

quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

Gervais is in the process of getting an MBA from McGill.
Note that Vincello isn't on the trip either, he's in Argentina.


Can I hereby nominate Gabe to be the next president of the CSA (in the very near future, hopefully) as a former (and perhaps currenty) national team member with a Master's degree in business from the top university in the land is already a massive step up on the wingnuts that are messing things up royally as we speak.

[Keano]

quote:Originally posted by SthMelbRed


quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

Gervais is in the process of getting an MBA from McGill.
Note that Vincello isn't on the trip either, he's in Argentina.


Can I hereby nominate Gabe to be the next president of the CSA (in the very near future, hopefully) as a former (and perhaps currenty) national team member with a Master's degree in business from the top university in the land is already a massive step up on the wingnuts that are messing things up royally as we speak.


Great idea! :D

[Keano]

quote:Originally posted by SthMelbRed


quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

Gervais is in the process of getting an MBA from McGill.
Note that Vincello isn't on the trip either, he's in Argentina.


Can I hereby nominate Gabe to be the next president of the CSA (in the very near future, hopefully) as a former (and perhaps currenty) national team member with a Master's degree in business from the top university in the land is already a massive step up on the wingnuts that are messing things up royally as we speak.


Great idea! :D

[MM2]

From the latest Impact practice:

http://www.insidesoccer.net/?p=896