With Sporting KC returning to MLS action after a bye week as they host Montreal this Saturday. I caught up with Impact beat writer for MLSsoccer.com, Olivier Tremblay, to preview the match. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday with live coverage available on KMCI (38 the Spot), SKCTV, Sports Radio 810 WHB, and La Gran D 1340 AM.
Jonathon Feyerherm: What changes have you seen this year for the Impact under new Head Coach Frank Klopas?
Olivier Tremblay: One shift that you can notice from last the few weeks is Frank Klopas is a guy who was brought up more in the American system and trusting American players more than Marco Schallibaum did. Montreal didn’t bring that many guys oversees this season, so you have a guy like Eric Miller, who is fresh off of college and he has played lots of minutes this season. Collen Warner is back and he's done alright. That’s one aspect of it and the second was really about making sure that Montreal were good in transition. It's not really surprising given how his Chicago teams played. Towards the end of last season, Schallibaum tried to make it into more of an attacking team and it didn't quite work out in the end. Klopas saw this and he was very much aware that they needed to work on being solid defensively and good in transition. So far, it hasn't quited worked out but he remains absolutely certain that it’s going to work out some point despite the team being winless.
JF: Montreal are still looking for their first win of the season. What's gone right for the team in the first six matches and where has the team struggled?
OT: At home they are supposed to be this dominant team that makes their home stadium into a fortress. They had this ten minute spell against the New York Red Bulls where they really didn’t play well and that allowed the Red Bulls back into the game. They have made mistakes that have been very costly, and it’s a matter of being able to track back and regaining shape when you lose the ball. That's been something of a problem for Montreal. On the other hand, they've been pretty successful at creating chances. If New York goalkeeper Luis Robles hadn't been in such good form, Montreal may have scored three or four against him. They manage to create chances. The problem with early season form is that teams are going to figure it out at some point and already can see the game against Chicago was a game where there were very few chances on either side and so Montreal chance creation dropped dramatically. How they are going to fare against Sporting KC is going to be down to that play in transition. How they are going to be able to switch play really quick and go and get a chance on the other end of the field. They've got take advantage of those changes as quickly as possible.
JF: Does Montreal's previous success (two wins in three matches) at Sporting Park give them confidence heading into Saturday's match?
OT: I think they probably have this fixture circled on their calendar before the season started because of the the history of the teams and how those fixtures have panned out. Now given the circumstances and how the season has been going for Montreal, there's probably a sense that this weekend is as good time as any to pick up that first win. That’s the interesting thing about rivalries in MLS, some are manufactured whereas Sporting Kansas City and Montreal has started to develop organically with red cards being picked up here and there. The Impact are going to relish the opportunity to get out of Montreal and play with a bit less pressure because they are going to be on the road and be at a stadium where they've had a fair amount of success so far.
JF: Finally, what are you expecting to see from Saturday’s match?
OT: I expect Montreal to try survive in the early goings. I was at Sporting Park for the first game last season on March 30 and I can remember Chance Myers just being in front of the press box the whole time during the first half because Sporting KC was pinning Montreal back. Montreal were trying to survive and I expect something rather similar for Saturday. I can see Montreal snatching a goal and possibly getting a draw but realistically I expect Kansas City to pick up the win.
