THE IMPACT EVALUATION CAMP

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THE IMPACT EVALUATION CAMP KICKS OFF


MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact unveiled Monday the roster that will take part to the team’s evaluation camp that starts this morning at Saputo Stadium. A total of 25 players have been invited to the first training session of this six-day camp, which will end Saturday with an inter-squad match.

Goalkeepers:
Evan Bush, Bill Gaudette, Greg Sutton and Maxime Crépeau

Defenders:
Philippe Billy, Simon Gatti, Cameron Knowles, Karl Ouimette and Nevio Pizzolitto

Midfielders:
Leonardo Di Lorenzo, Luke Kreamalmeyer, Amir Lowery, David Testo, Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Ian Westlake

Forwards:
Mignane Diouf, Mircea Ilcu, Miguel Montano and Ryan Pore


Six other players have been invited by head coach Jesse Marsch:

José Javier Del Aguila
Guatemalan midfielder, 20, plays with Communicaciones in first division in Guatemala. He played three games in the CONCACAF Champions League with Communicaciones in 2011. He also plays with the Guatemalan National Team. In 2011, he played four games at the FIFA U20 World Cup. He scored one goal in two games at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Jamie Watson
American forward/midfielder, 25, who helped Orlando City SC win the 2011 USL Pro Championship. He registered eight goals and three assists for a total of 19 points in 17 games in 2011. He was a All-League selection in 2011. He was drafted in the first round, 13th overall, by Real Salt Lake in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft. He has played 38 games with Real Salt Lake, from 2005 to 2007, and one game with FC Dallas in 2008.

Jeremiah White
American midfielder/forward, 29, who played six games with Saudi Arabian first division club Al-Ettifaq in 2010 and three games with GKS Belchatów, in Polish first division. He has also played with OFK Beograd (Serbia), Panserraikos (Greece), FC Gueugnon (France) and AGF Aarhus (Denmark). He has played one game with the US national team, in a friendly against Sweden in 2008.

Wes Knight
American defender/midfielder, 25, who played 12 games in 2011, including 10 starts, with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, in MLS. He had joined the Whitecaps in 2008, playing 58 games in North American second division before making the jump to MLS, helping the team win the 2008 playoff championship.

Alexis Zywiecki
French central defender, 27, plays with Dijon FCO in France’s Ligue 1. He has played 108 career games in Ligue 2, including 98 starts, between 2007 and 2011, while the club was in the second division. He scored five goals. He has also played nine Coupe de France games and four Coupe de Ligue games.

Bratislav Ristic
Serbian midfielder, 31, who has played 17 games with the Chicago Fire (MLS), in 2010 and 2011. He has also played with Rad Beograd (Serbia), Metalurh Donetsk (Ukraine) and Club Brugge (Belgium), with whom he participated in the Champions League in 2003.

Defender Hassoun Camara, as well as forwards Reda Agourram, Pierre-Rudolph Mayard, Ali Gerba, Marco Terminesi and Eduardo Sebrango will miss camp due to injuries. Midfielders Anthony Le Gall and Antonio Ribeiro, as well as defender Hicham Aaboubou, who played with the Impact in 2011, have not been invited to the camp.

www.montrealimpact.com/News/News.aspx?language=EN&ArticleID=1758&Focus=0

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THE IMPACT EVALUATION CAMP DAY 2





www.montrealimpact.com/PepePhoto/Default.aspx?language=EN

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There was a nice surprise this morning as French defender Pascal Chimbonda joined the team in the third day of training camp.
However, the club and player himself didn't really make any comments on his arrival in Montreal, as he is still club-tied with Championship-side Doncaster Rovers. In fact, he just signed a short-term deal with the South Yorkshire club two weeks ago.


www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?2282-Ex-Premier-League-player-Pascal-Chimbonda-on-trial-with-Impact

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Montreal Impact head coach Jesse Marsch
happy with evaluation camp


Marsch was asked if one week was enough time to evaluate the players and their potential to play in North America’s premier league.

“You could argue that it is or that it isn’t,” the coach said. “But it’s a time restraint we have, and I don’t think for now it’s fair to bring guys in for certain situations for too long.

“But we’ve given them a chance, given them some ideas to understand what we think is important. Then we throw them out there to see if some of that can come out with higher level of training, games and whatnot.

“It can give you a window as to how they might be able to progress in the future,” Marsch added. “For the most part, I’ve watched all these players before they’ve come here, so it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve seen any of them. Now it’s trying to work closely with them and seeing how it goes.”

The Impact won’t officially become the 19th team in MLS until Jan. 1, and the club’s inaugural training camp is expected to begin in mid-January, eight weeks before the start of the regular season.

Read more: www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Montreal+Impact+head+coach+Jesse+Marsch+happy+with+evaluation+camp/5513943/story.html#ixzz1a3ZbfFoH

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Impact prepare to close intense camp with intrasquad game

Marsch hopes to see combo play in 70-minute Saturday scrimmage

MONTREAL – Montreal Impact head coach Jesse Marsch put his players through MLS paces on Friday in their final training session of this week's evaluation camp as they prepared for Saturday's finale: a morning intrasquad game at Complexe Claude-Robillard.

The morning session may have only lasted an hour, but was certainly very intense as the 2012 hopefuls were pushed hard in the final day of practice. After a fifth day of training, Marsch (above right, with former Vancouver Whitecap Wes Knight) admitted he had to calm the players down as the level of intensity increased.

“We’ve opened things up a little bit in the week, and it’s gotten a bit hectic," Marsch told reporters on Friday. “Today, I tried to lay things out so that tomorrow’s game has pace, but also stays organized.”

The American coach is looking for a good matchup on Saturday, and understands players will be pushing hard to prove themselves. At the start of Friday’s practice, he took the time to explain what he intends to see in the game

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/10/07/impact-prepare-close-intense-camp-intrasquad-game

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Montreal Impact ends evaluation camp


Marsch will meet players in one-on-one sessions throughout day the Monday, letting each know whether it’s time to look for opportunities to play elsewhere, or be prepared to further make their case at preseason training camp, which starts in mid-January, or that they indeed have a future with the franchise.

Read more: www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Montreal+Impact+ends+evaluation+camp/5523921/story.html#ixzz1aDsmuNYM

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Marsch praises Impact players after rough week in camp
Diouf scores twice as scrimmage caps telling week of workouts
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Dealing with a few injured players, Marsch had to settle for a 10-a-side game for 70 minutes which saw Senegalese striker Mignane Diouf score both goals for the yellow team and Jeremiah White getting the only goal for the blue team.

“I thought it was a good effort,” Marsch said. “It looked more like a soccer game than some of the training sessions that were a little too wide open.”

Goalkeeper Bill Gaudette, who was back in a full week of training for the first time in four months due to an ankle injury, was satisfied with his own performance pulling three key saves during today’s game.


The next few weeks will be very busy for the coach and his staff as he prepares his team for an inaugural season in the MLS. Marsch, who went to London at the end of September, will be traveling to South America at the end of next week for 10 days, alongside sporting director Nick De Santis.

Both will be also need to be prepared for the Expansion Draft in November and January's SuperDraft.

Asked if he was looking to plan another training camp after the Expansion Draft, Marsch said that he will instead be looking at other smaller camps.

“There’s the potential for different evaluation camps set up by other people that we might be at," he said, "but nothing like this week’s camp."

www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/10/08/marsch-praises-impact-players-after-rough-week-camp