Montreal Impact players painted a picture of a leaderless, clique-ridden squad as they wrapped up a dismal Major League Soccer s
Montreal Impact players painted a picture of a leaderless, clique-ridden squad as they wrapped up a dismal Major League Soccer s
in Regeln und Informationen 13.07.2018 08:14von jinshuiqian0713 • Halb Gott | 1.860 Beiträge
MONTREAL - Montreal Impact players painted a picture of a leaderless, clique-ridden squad as they wrapped up a dismal Major League Soccer season Monday. Seattle Seahawks Jerseys .A 1-1 draw with D.C. United on Saturday left Montreal with a 6-18-10 record and last overall in the 19-team league. It was a season that started badly and only got marginally better.There will be changes for sure, but I also believe in continuity, said coach Frank Klopas. Were not here to make a lot of changes.The team that squeaked into the fifth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot despite a second-half collapse in 2013 carried its disjointed, error-prone play into this season by posting only one win in its first 11 matches.The low points were seven straight losses in July and August and an 0-12-5 road record for the year. The positives were winning the Canadian Championship and reaching the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions League.As players were brought out three at a time to meet the media, a few veterans spoke of how the loss of defender Alessandro Nesta to retirement and moving captain Davy Arnaud to D.C. left the team short of leadership needed to get through the bad times.Alessandro and Davy leaving left a big void for sure, said goalkeeper Evan Bush. Looking forward, thats something that definitely needs to be addressed, as far as which guys will step up in leadership roles.A guy like (captain) Patrice Bernier, maybe its not his character to be the vocal one, but he leads in other ways. There are other guys who lead by example as well, but you also need guys that step up when things are going poorly and kind of right the ship in the locker room by saying things as well.That the Impact had no one take charge may stem from the other problem — cliques.The club has its Americans, a French-speaking Canadian contingent mostly from the teams academy, Latin Americans and Italian stars Matteo Ferrari and Marco Di Vaio, who retired after the final regular-season game.Most MLS clubs have players from around the world, but Montreals squad is especially diverse. The team has actively sought an international flavour and style of play rather than the more physical American game preferred by many of its opponents.The challenge in that approach is maintaining unity.Were always going to be a cosmopolitan team, said Bernier. Players hang around with guys from their own country.In tough moments, its not easy because youre always asking questions. And when you lose, people say you have cliques. The ethnicity of this team is what makes it what it is. Montreals always going to be compared to other clubs as a team with a lot of foreign backgrounds.Its going to have to be worked on from the beginning so players coming in feel at home here and feel like theyre part of the project.Last years Swiss coach, Marco Schallibaum, was big on team-building exercises, doing things not necessarily related to soccer away from the pitch. The Greek-American Klopas isnt so much.Canadian midfielder Issey Nakajima-Farran, acquired in midseason from Toronto FC, said it should be part of next seasons program.Theres a lot more diversity in this group of guys than in any group Ive ever dealt with, which is 10 or 12 teams, the veteran said. Thats definitely something well have to work on for next year because what happens in the changing room and training field is what happens on the pitch.There was a lot of controversy throughout the season that weve got to address. Were not as collective as we should be. Things like that take team activities, things outside the training ground.Of course, the natural leader would be Ignacio Piatti, the designated player from Argentina who arrived in August on a three-year contract. Piatti made it clear from the start with his play that hell be one of the most gifted and entertaining players in MLS.However, Piatti speaks Spanish and Italian but not English so locker-room speeches may be a problem. Same for midfielder Andres Romero, an Argentine who was named the teams player of the year.Romero, who was dreadful last season, was one of Montreals best and most consistent attacking players. He was also one of the few midfielders to stay healthy, unlike Justin Mapp, who had a strong start, or striker Di Vaio.Bernier, a native of Brossard, Que., is one of four players whose contracts are up. The others are defenders Heath Pearce and Futty Danso and goalie Troy Perkins.Klopas said he wants the 35-year-old Bernier back but added the players salaries will be part of the decision on which are signed.Hed like to keep Perkins and Bush as a goaltending tandem but salary may come into play. That bodes poorly for Perkins, who was the starter for the first half of the season but then lost his job to Bush, who has the added bonus of being much less expensive.First off, I wouldnt want to return to a place Im not wanted, said Perkins. I didnt think I deserved the blame for what happened in the first part of the season and I think it was put on me.Nakajima-Farran didnt like being used sparingly either, although minutes were scarce with a glut of attacking midfielders.Its always up to the coach and hes always going to have his preferences, but with the season we had I felt there should have been a lot more experimenting, he said. It was the same kind of lineup and it made it predictable what we were going to do, which a lot of teams also saw and took away the points from.The central defence will be looked at closely. The Impact were caught short when Nelson Rivas did not shake off his chronic injury trouble and Spaniard Adrian Lopez suffered a second season-ending ailment in as many years.That left Ferrari with inexperienced partners for most of the season, which is partly why the Impact repeatedly gave away points on late goals.Help may come from Gege Soriola, a Nigerian signed late in the season who has yet to play a match, and Adam Straith of Victoria, who is currently without a club but trained with the Impact on Monday.They also need to replace Di Vaios skill and experience at striker. Jack McInerney, acquired from Philadelphia early in the season, will be the first choice but Montreal will likely go outside to seek depth at that position.Despite the losses, there were players who stepped up their game this season, including Romero.Calum Mallace, all but forgotten his first two seasons, emerged as an imposing defensive midfielder and Dilly Duka, acquired in midseason from Chicago, proved to be a decent playmaker.The focus at training camp in January will be preparing for a Champions League tie with powerful Pachuca of Mexico. But Montreal doesnt want another weak regular season.I feel this was a year of transition, said Ferrari. We changed the coach, we changed a lot of players.Its difficult to find all the right things. After a while, we started to play better. Piatti helped us a lot. So next year we should have momentum to start better. Dontae Johnson Jersey . "Hopefully well get all this out of the way," he said, "and everyone will be healthy the rest of the year." Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday and is expected to miss between four to six weeks. Michael Dickson Seahawks Jersey . - The Denver Broncos kept rookie wide receiver Tavarres King from joining the Green Bay Packers by promoting him to their active roster Tuesday. http://www.footballseahawksfanatics.com/authentic-rashaad-penny-seahawks-jersey/ . As they are wont to do, the Spurs made things real easy. The Spurs signed Parker to a multi-year contract extension on Friday, ensuring that the six-time All-Star point guard will be in the fold whether Duncan and Ginobili are able to continue their careers or not.TORONTO – When Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle first coached James van Riemsdyk last season, he was met initially with a hardheadedness that reminded him of someone very familiar. "Maybe I looked in the mirror," Carlyle said, chuckling as he walked off. Blossoming into something special for the Leafs, van Riemsdyk set a new career-high Tuesday night with his 41st point this season, also equaling a career mark with his 21st goal of the year, the game-winner in a 3-2 edging of the Lightning. All the 24-year-old desired when he was traded from Philadelphia to Toronto in the summer of 2012 was an opportunity to prove himself on a grander stage and, with that opportunity, he has most certainly flourished. In addition to goals and points, van Riemsdyk has also set new career-highs in power-play goals (8), shots (186), shorthanded goals (1) and power play points (14), already having matched a career-high in assists with 20 on the season – all this in just 53 games. He is also fetching nearly 21 minutes per game – by far the highest of a five-year career – teaming with Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak on whats become an offensively dominant top line. "That was the key for me is the opportunity," said van Riemsdyk, who feigned no surprise when he was traded for Luke Schenn in a long-rumoured deal on June 23, 2012. "I was always confident in myself as far I think I proved it in Philly. I showed when I had the opportunity to play a lot, play in those key situations, that I was able to be a productive player. Ive been able to get more of those opportunities since coming here. "For me personally, I think it was good to start somewhere else, go to a place where I was going to get a chance to show what I can do." Before being dealt, van Riemsdyk was maybe most known for a seven-goal explosion in the 2011 playoffs as a member of the Flyers, a foreshadowing in many ways of what was coming down the line. Last spring, during his first campaign with the Leafs, he offered another tantalizing glimpse of where his career might be headed in the very near future, a force with seven points during a memorable seven-game first round series with Boston. "I think JVR has picked up a lot of where he was in the playoffs last year," Carlyle said prior to Tuesdays game, which snapped a mini two-game slide for the Leafs. "He seemed to be able to take that next step. Hes more confident." "I just want to try to keep getting better and better every single year," van Riemsdyk said. "Ive been given an opportunity here to play in some key situations and play some big minutes. Im definitely happy about that." Five Points 1. More van Riemsdyk Carlyle indicated that van Riemsdyk often proved stubborn early in his Toronto tenure, but with time has grown more receptive to the prodding of the coaching staff. "He used to be a guy yeah, but [or] but if," Carlyle said of van Riemsdyks response to coaching. "But hes not that [anymore]. Now hes more receptive to [it] … Theres a difference between coaching and criticism. Sometimes they all become the same to players. Thats the difficult part is when to use it, when not to use it as a coach." It was only days into the 2013 campaign that Carlyle first publicly prodded van Riemsdyk. "Hes got to go into the dirty areas a little bit more and thats one of the things were going to ask of him," said Carlyle before an early season game against Pittsburgh. "Hes a big man, who can go to the front of the net. Hes got soft hands around the net. We want to see him drive that puck to that area..." Improvements in those areas have notably helped the New Jersey native blossom into an offensive force, specifically his willingness to camp out in the difficult areas around the net. 2. Shouldering a Heavy Burden With 40 stops on Tuesday, Jonathan Bernier improved to 7-1-2 this season when facing 40 or more shots this season, an impressive mark under the strain of a heavy workload. Bernier made a number of key saves throughout the evening, but none more brilliant than a stop on Martin St. Louis with just over three minutes to go in regulation. Sliding to his left, in rhythm with a Hedman cross-ice feed, the 25-year-old used his left pad to turn aside the surefire game-tying goal. "Great save, game-saving save," Kadri said. "We almost expect him to make those type of saves now because hes done it so often. Hes a great goaltender, uup with the best, and he definitely showed it there. Rasheem Green Seahawks Jersey. " 3. Kadri Brushes Off Speculation Nazem Kadri scored for the fifth and sixth time in the past four games against Ben Bishop, the NHLs save percentage leader and six-foot-seven Tampa netminder. The first saw the 23-year-old employ six-foot-six Lightning defender Victor Hedman as a screen in transition, the second a sure Highlight of the Night candidate that saw Kadri dance around Hedman before slipping a backhand beyond the grasp of Bishop. Boasting 35 points on the year, Kadri has quickly quieted trade speculation that always seems to bubble in Toronto. "Im just ignoring that," he said. "I dont think I use it as motivation or as a concern – it doesnt discourage me. I just try and focus on what I have to do and what I can bring to the team. I know I can help this team, its just a matter of when." "The thing about him is he doesnt let anything bother him," van Riemsdyk added of Kadri, who is up to 14 goals this season. "Its definitely impressive to see. I think hes probably used to it maybe growing up in the spotlight here." 4. Adjustments for Kadri Sliding out from a slump that lingered for the better part of a month, Kadri has now posted points in six of the past seven games. "Our request [for him] is to play more north-south versus east-west, specifically through the neutral ice," said Carlyle. "When hes not playing well you see him, he gets caught from behind on the back-side pressure. And when hes playing well, he seems to be able to create space in that area." Carlyle also observed that Kadri was playing more physically in recent weeks, adding that his acumen in the faceoff circle had improved. A real source of concern earlier in the year – he was amongst the worst in the league – Kadri has won just under 50 per cent in the past 10 games, victorious on 10 of 16 draws against the Lightning. 5. Gleason Effect Tim Gleason has been paired with Cody Franson for all but two of his 12 games with the Leafs and hes proven a stabilizing force in that span. "Hes a very solid, aggressive, and physical style player," Franson said of Gleason. "For me, hes very easy to read off of. I know hes going in there to try to be aggressive as the first guy. When you have guys like that where you dont have to think too much, it makes it easier. You can react quicker and it makes the plays a little easier to read." Franson, who leads the Toronto defence with 25 points, has benefited from the meat and potatoes style of the longtime Hurricane defender, similar in some ways to the effect Mark Fraser had on the 26-year-old last season. "Mark would always be aggressive trying to get hits and staple guys to the wall and allow our defensive zone coverage to take place," Franson said. "Gleas is the same way. He has a physical mindset and goes in there and tries to get people in tough positions to make plays and allow us to break out of the zone a little easier." Gleason battled through a difficult night against the Lightning. The 30-year-old blocked a shot in one uncomfortable area, received a pass in the face and was then hammered into the end-boards in the final two minutes by Teddy Purcell. He was forced to leave the game with a shoulder injury, one that Carlyle didnt believe to be serious. Stats Pack 10-5-2 – Leafs record against the Atlantic division. 7-1-2 – Record for Jonathan Bernier this season when facing 40 shots or more. 2 – Multi-goal games for Nazem Kadri this season. 41 – Points for James van Riemsdyk this season, a new career-high. 49.7% - Success rate for Kadri on the draw in the past 10 games. 7 – Phil Kessel shot attempts that were blocked by the Lightning. 75% - Leafs success rate on defensive zone faceoffs against Tampa. 21-6-3 – Leafs record this season when scoring first. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-3Season: 22% (4th) PK: 3-3Season: 77.1% (29th) Quote of the Night "They thought Ive been playing excellent over this last nine, 10-game stretch. Kudos to them for sticking with me. I know theyre a patient bunch as well and they understand what I can bring to the team. Ive been very coachable and theyve given me some great pointers that Ive listened to and just tried to get better." -Nazem Kadri on the patience of the Toronto coaching staff. Up Next The Leafs host the Panthers on Thursday night. Cheap Jerseys Online Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '
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