With the month of July quickly coming to a close, Sounders FC heads east yet again to take on Eastern Conference side Montreal Impact. To take a closer look at this weekend’s fixture north of the border, SoundersFC.com caught up with Sofiane Benzaza of Mount Royal Soccer, who spoke about the team’s desire to rebound after a rocky start to the season, recent rumors regarding potential signings and more.
Dangerman
Ignacio Piatti, the Impact’s offensive midfielder, has been their go-to guy to make things happen. He is an interesting player because he doesn’t play as a traditional No. 10; he likes to play out on the wing and Frank Klopas likes to use him in that way, almost like a second striker. He’s very much a ‘shoot-first, ask questions later’ type of guy. He’s been their go-to man and they paid a lot of money to get him in as a DP and his experience has shown in both Champions League and with the team.
He’s been a little lukewarm when the team is on the road, but he’s great at home.
Turn it Around
The Impact have so many games in hand right now. They need to win all of them. Unfortunately, they have only been winning at home and have struggled at away venues.
At the end of the day, they need to get points on the road if they want to remain in contention for a playoff spot, especially as their regular-season MLS schedule begins to pick up now that Champions League play has ended.
No Easy Matches
The Impact are confident enough to see this match as an opportunity to get points, but they are certainly humble enough to know that they respect their adversaries. They realize the Sounders are without their stars but they know other players are able to step up and there’s a chance they may give up points at home. Their defense has been able to perform well at home and not allow visiting teams to attack early.
They try to be confident in their capacity and they have high expectations of what they can do, especially when they play at home. They understand it’s another team that is in a playoff position and Sounders fans can expect to see an Impact team that will look to shut them down early in the match.
Goalkeeping is Key
Evan Bush is always a key player. It’s easy to take a goalkeeper for granted because it’s their job to stop shots, but Bush has stepped up his game. His Champions League run got him to another level and he still has more room for improvement. He’s a young MLS goalkeeper – not necessarily young in age – and he’s got space to grow. He’s athletic, he’s sharp and he’s getting better with his positioning. He uses his athleticism to make those big saves and makes it look easy. You can see the progress game after game.
When he has a bad game, he is mature enough in his process to handle it well and pick up heading into his next game. Without a doubt, he is a part of their success.
Final Thoughts on MTLvSEA
It’s no secret that the Montreal Impact is interested in Didier Drogba. They are making a move for him and fans here are excited about it, but they are also frustrated that he’s not here yet. The team is battling with Chicago Fire for the forward and the front office is trying to manage those expectations. They are still a team trying to take their game to the next level.
Either way, these off the pitch items ultimately will not matter as the team prepares to take on the Sounders. I expect a good match.
