Voici ce qu'on pense des chances de l'Impact en 2003.
by Gerald Barnhart
Montreal Impact:
The Impact served notice last year that this team is back as a title contender. Although the team did not experience the success it desired in the playoffs, it proved it can compete with perennial Northeast power Rochester, finishing tied in points on the year. In the Conference Semifinals, Montreal was just barely edged by the Rhinos, 1-0, on aggregate score showing just how close the two teams were to one another.
Montreal has re-signed a majority of its roster from last season and has added a few players here and there to fill out the squad. With a year under their belts, this team should be considered frontrunners to win the division during the season.
http://www.uslsoccer.com/features/2003a ... dex_E.html
usl.com 2003 preview
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François
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Daniel
- Champion continental
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Overall Thoughts:
Montreal will finish atop the division at the close of the season. What should lock that up is the drop in quality overall in the division. Rochester has trimmed its player payroll and with the new Syracuse franchise in the mix, the players will be a little more spread out. I still like the Rhinos for second given the roster the club still possesses, coach Ercoli and their home field/fan support advantage. The other three clubs could finish in any order to round out the bottom of the division. I like Pittsburgh to narrowly finish behind Rochester for third, Syracuse for fourth and Toronto to bring up the rear. This could be a make-or-break year for Pittsburgh, however. Rochester will likely return to prominence sooner rather than later with the new stadium on the horizon, so if the Riverhounds want to jump into the elite of the league, this is their chance.
Playoffs
Overall Thoughts:
Unlike the parity in MLS and the WUSA, where each of the teams in the league has a decent shot at the title at the beginning of the season, the parity is found among the playoff teams in the A-League. There seems to be a clear difference between the playoff contenders and the rest of the league, but when you compare the postseason-caliber teams against one another, there is a lot of parity with no real clear standout as a future champion.
Western Conference:
This is Vancouver's year. The Whitecaps will down the Sounders in the division playoff series and move past the winner of the Central series between Minnesota and Milwaukee to reach the A-League final. The Central series is a lot tougher to call here in the preseason, but right now, I would have to give the edge to Minnesota.
Eastern Conference:
I like an all-Canadian A-League final with the Impact finding their way through a difficult conference playoff run. I see Montreal getting the better of Rochester this time around in the division series and battling past the winner of the Charleston-Richmond Southeast series. After two years of failing to advance in the playoffs, I think the Battery will get past Richmond in a very close series before falling to Montreal in a series overtime or, in a repeat of last year's Richmond-Rochester series, via penalty kicks.
A-League Championship:
The 1994 championship Montreal Impact is the only Canadian team to ever reach the A-League final. There is a good chance that will change this year, possibly even triple. Vancouver and Montreal just look to be the strongest teams out there on paper right now and have shown well in recent years.
The winner of my Vancouver-Montreal final will be the club who plays host to the final. With that as an unknown, I will pick Vancouver as the winner based on a neutral site. The Whitecaps have a little more firepower in their arsenal and I think for once, offense will prove the key in this year's championship although defense will be what gets these teams to the championship game.
Montreal will finish atop the division at the close of the season. What should lock that up is the drop in quality overall in the division. Rochester has trimmed its player payroll and with the new Syracuse franchise in the mix, the players will be a little more spread out. I still like the Rhinos for second given the roster the club still possesses, coach Ercoli and their home field/fan support advantage. The other three clubs could finish in any order to round out the bottom of the division. I like Pittsburgh to narrowly finish behind Rochester for third, Syracuse for fourth and Toronto to bring up the rear. This could be a make-or-break year for Pittsburgh, however. Rochester will likely return to prominence sooner rather than later with the new stadium on the horizon, so if the Riverhounds want to jump into the elite of the league, this is their chance.
Playoffs
Overall Thoughts:
Unlike the parity in MLS and the WUSA, where each of the teams in the league has a decent shot at the title at the beginning of the season, the parity is found among the playoff teams in the A-League. There seems to be a clear difference between the playoff contenders and the rest of the league, but when you compare the postseason-caliber teams against one another, there is a lot of parity with no real clear standout as a future champion.
Western Conference:
This is Vancouver's year. The Whitecaps will down the Sounders in the division playoff series and move past the winner of the Central series between Minnesota and Milwaukee to reach the A-League final. The Central series is a lot tougher to call here in the preseason, but right now, I would have to give the edge to Minnesota.
Eastern Conference:
I like an all-Canadian A-League final with the Impact finding their way through a difficult conference playoff run. I see Montreal getting the better of Rochester this time around in the division series and battling past the winner of the Charleston-Richmond Southeast series. After two years of failing to advance in the playoffs, I think the Battery will get past Richmond in a very close series before falling to Montreal in a series overtime or, in a repeat of last year's Richmond-Rochester series, via penalty kicks.
A-League Championship:
The 1994 championship Montreal Impact is the only Canadian team to ever reach the A-League final. There is a good chance that will change this year, possibly even triple. Vancouver and Montreal just look to be the strongest teams out there on paper right now and have shown well in recent years.
The winner of my Vancouver-Montreal final will be the club who plays host to the final. With that as an unknown, I will pick Vancouver as the winner based on a neutral site. The Whitecaps have a little more firepower in their arsenal and I think for once, offense will prove the key in this year's championship although defense will be what gets these teams to the championship game.
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Daniel
- Champion continental
- Messages : 8905
- Inscription : 28 janvier 2003 20:10
- Place dans le stade : Kop [132]
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Alors, mettons qu'on est parmi les favoris...
Si c'était une finale Montréal-Vancouver, je dirais qu'il y a 90% des chances que le match soit à Montréal, parce que Milwaukee (Ouest) a été l'hôte en 2002. De plus, s'il y a une finale à Montréal, je ne serais pas surpris de voir ce match au Stade Molson...
Si c'était une finale Montréal-Vancouver, je dirais qu'il y a 90% des chances que le match soit à Montréal, parce que Milwaukee (Ouest) a été l'hôte en 2002. De plus, s'il y a une finale à Montréal, je ne serais pas surpris de voir ce match au Stade Molson...