Allgemeine Themen » Tuesday, defending

MONTREAL -- The Montreal Impact finally got a victory after a month-long wait, even if it was by the slightest of margins. Montreal opened its CONCACAF Champions League campaign with a nail-biting win, beating El Salvadors C.D. FAS 1-0 at Saputo Stadium on Tuesday. Riding a six-game losing streak in Major League Soccer, the victory was a welcome change for an Impact side that has had little to celebrate this season. In last place in the league, Montreals last victory came five weeks ago. But in tournament play on Tuesday, Marco Di Vaio headed home the winner in the first half, and Montreal desperately held on to the lead in the games final minutes after a sending-off reduced the Impact to 10 men with 20 minutes to play. "It feels good to win, to have started this competition on the right foot," said defender Hassoun Camara, who was shown the red card for a studs-up challenge. "Were having trouble in the league, but theres satisfaction and relief today. Now we know that we can play well despite adversity. When theres cohesion, when everyone pulls in the same direction, good things happen." In the 72nd minute, Camara lost control of the ball and slid after it, colliding with FAS Raul Renderos. The Salvadoran midfielder, clutching his thigh, was taken off the pitch on a stretcher. Renderos was back on the field a minute later to the ire of the Montreal faithful. "I had the ball on a counter attack, and I saw the opponent coming at me strong," said Camara, who was sent off for the slide tackle. "For me, that was a 50-50 challenge. Its unfortunate. I thought the referee was a bit harsh. A few apologies on my part would have been enough." Frank Klopas thought the Costa Rican referee Hugo Cruz was harsh, too, when the Impact manager was expelled from the game just 10 minutes after his defender made the shameful walk to the dressing room. Klopas, upset about a free-kick call for FAS deep in Montreals half, was ejected for leaving his technical area. "My box is one of the smallest Ive ever seen," said Klopas, who wont be able to manage the Impact in the teams next Champions League match versus FAS on Aug. 20. "Sometimes Im walking up and down. The official warned me. But sometimes, in the heat of the moment, its very difficult to stay there. "At the same time, theres some frustration when you dont get certain calls. I have to protect my team and my players. Obviously, stepping out of box, you dont even realize it at moments." After the ejections, FAS (0-1-0) pressed for the equalizer, but could not make the most of the man advantage. Without Camara or Klopas, Montreal kept C.D. FAS at bay in the final minutes. Goalkeeper Evan Bush came up with a big save in the 82nd, and the Impact defence did the rest, clearing Bushs penalty box with resolve. With the win, Montreal (1-0-0) now leads its Group 3 opposition -- FAS and the New York Red Bulls -- by three points after just one Champions League match. New York plays its first game of the tournament at the end of August. Only the winner of the group will advance to the eight-team knockout stage. The Champions League is an annual club tournament that involves 24 teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Montreal is representing Canada in the competition after winning the Amway Canadian Championship in June. The Impact are now 6-0-2 at home in the clubs third Champions League appearance. Montreal has not conceded in its last 405 minutes of CCL play. On Tuesday, the clubs starting 11 left no doubt about Klopas intentions. With the exceptions of captain Patrice Bernier, who came on as a substitute in the second half, and Heath Pearce, who was left out of the line-up entirely, Montreals roster suggested nothing but a win would do. "Now that we have an opportunity to advance and be in this tournament, its important that we do whatever we can to advance," said Klopas. "Im not saying that the MLS season is not important, but now I know how important this tournament is for this team. "Were going to put everything that we can to try to advance. Its very important for us and the club and the organization and for our fans for us to advance." For the first time in several weeks, the Impact dominated large chunks of a game. At the interval, shots on target were 4-0 in favour of the Impact. One those was Di Vaios. The Italian striker found the back of the net in the 21st when his well-placed precision header beat FAS keeper Luis Contreras to give the Impact an early lead. Left all alone in front of goal, Di Vaio timed his run to perfection and connected with a cross from Felipe. It was more of the same for much of the second half. The Impact dictated the run of play in midfield, but failed to convert golden opportunities in the final third. Bush was untested until the 66th minute when he stopped a tight-angle shot from FAS Jonathan Joya. Montreal plays its next Champions League match against FAS in El Salvador before playing home-and-away against the Red Bulls on Sept. 27 and Oct. 22. From Santa Ana, El Salvador, FAS is one of the most popular soccer teams in the small Central American nation. Playing in the Salvadoran Premier League, the team began their 2014 campaign last Saturday with a 1-0 loss. FAS last won the CONCACAF Champions League, then called the Champions Cup, in 1979. FAS travelled to Montreal with just 14 players, and without its head coach. "Next game, we will definitely have a strong offensive 11," said FAS assistant coach Emiliano Pedrozo through a translator. "We want to play the way we played in the last minutes of this game. Going home, we will have a good result in El Salvador." Elsewhere in the Champions League on Tuesday, defending champions Cruz Azul drew 1-1 with Costa Rican side Alajuelense, while Honduras Deportivo Olimpia beat Alpha United of Guyana 1-0. Notes: In 2008-09, when still in the North American Soccer League, the Impact reached the Champions League quarter-finals. Last year, Montreal didnt make it past the group stage. à Newly acquired midfielder Dilly Duka made his first start in an Impact uniform. à FAS is the most decorated Salvadoran squad with 17 national titles. à Four other MLS clubs are competing in the Champions League: Portland Timbers, Sporting Kansas City, New York Red Bulls, and D.C. United. à Montreal returns to MLS play on Saturday in Philadelphia. Jeremy Kerley Jersey .J. Ellis have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract. Marshall Newhouse Jersey . The (14-15-5) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 33 points. 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But it came at a price as the Portugal forward, who came into the first-leg nursing a sore left knee, came off in the 80th minute.Jermain Defoes former manager is reportedly very interested in getting his striker back. According to a report in The Guardian, Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp - who managed Defoe with both Portsmouth and Tottenham - is interested in bringing the 32-year-old back to London. Though no deal is in place between QPR and Toronto FC, Redknapp went on record to state that he would welcome Defoe back to the Premier League. “He’s a player we’d be interested in in January, but it depends on the expense of the deal,” Redknapp told The Guardian. “Nothing is anywhere near being concluded. We tried to get him before the deadline but I don’t think there’s been any movement on that one. Defoe signed a four-year deal with TFC prior to the 2014 Major League Soccer season, but was rumoured to be unhappy in Toronto mid-way thhrough his first season.dddddddddddd In 19 games with the club in 2014, Defoe scored 11 goals. He would help lead Toronto FC to a strong start, with a 6-1-4 (19 points) record in the clubs first 11 contests. However, injuries would keep Defoe off the pitch for much of the second half of the season, with rumours of his return to the Premier League resurfacing near the end of the Fall transfer window. He appeared in just six contests after July 16, failing to score a single goal for the remainder of the season after 11 in 13 matches. “I’m a big fan of Jermain’s – I’ve signed him enough times, Redknapp said. He’s a goalscorer and a player you’d obviously like at your club if possible, but the figures would have to be right. I haven’t spoken to the chairman about it yet. We’ll see. 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