TIME FOR THE 2004 A-LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

[François]

TIME FOR THE 2004 A-LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP


MONTREAL, September 17, 2004 — Although the Impact came out 13 points ahead of the Seattle Sounders this regular season, head coach Nick DeSantis says all that will have to be erased for Saturday’s 2004 A-League Championship at Claude Robillard Sports Complex (7:00 pm, live on FSW, RDS, CKAC). "You have to throw all the stats right out the window," said DeSantis, whose team finished first in the Eastern Conference with a 17-6-5 record, as compared to a fourth-place finish and a 13-11-4 record for the Sounders in the West. "When you reach the final, you have two teams who’ve had good playoff runs. Seattle has class players, experienced players. They’ve done well to beat Portland and Vancouver, just as we’ve done well to beat some tough teams in Rochester and Syracuse.

"So we’re going to have a game between two teams who are on a high in terms of confidence."

The Montreal players will have the advantage of playing in front of their home crowd, all the more considering that 800 seats have been added for Saturday’s match-up, bringing the stadium’s official capacity to 10,100 seats. Tickets in reserved seating were sold out, Friday, but there were still tickets left in general admission.

According to DeSantis and captain Mauro Biello, who were part of the Impact championship team in 1994, the psychological approach will be a key factor in the game’s outcome.

"Mental strength is what gets you through the playoffs," said DeSantis. "It’s about the nerves. The team that reacts the best will come out on top."

"At this point, all the tactical and technical work that needs to be done has been done," said Biello. "Our guys are loose, we’ve had good practices all week, so I’m confident that we’ll be ready. Saturday’s game will be about staying focused and executing."

On that front, the Sounders are confident they are just as well equipped as their Montreal counterparts.

"We proved we could come back against adversity in our series against Portland," said Seattle captain Danny Jackson. "And seven weeks ago, we were still scrapping to get to fourth place."

In spite of injuries to several players, including their leading goal-scorer Welton Melo (10 goals), the Sounders had a five-game winning streak in the final stretch of the season to earn a playoff berth, three points ahead of the Milwaukee Wave United. That’s part of the reason head coach Brian Schmetzer doesn’t plan to change his game plan although Melo will not be facing the Impact. Melo will be serving a suspension after being ejected from the second and final leg of the Western Conference final.

"I have confidence in my players, and I have confidence in my bench," said Schmetzer. "We have several back-up players who could be starters for many other A-League teams."

Impact players will have to pay attention to Roger Levesque, who collected eight goals and four assists for a total of 20 points, one more than Montreal’s leading scorer, Eduardo Sebrango (eight goals, three assists).