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MONTREAL - The spotlight is on Andrew Wenger as the Montreal Impact begin their third Major League Soccer regular season with a visit to FC Dallas on Saturday. Matt Wieters Authentic Jersey . Listen to the Impact vs. FC Dallas live on TSN Radio Montreal 690 starting at 8pm et. The first overall pick in the 2012 SuperDraft is expected to start at striker in place of star scorer Marco DiVaio, who is suspended for the opening three games. "Marco scored 20 goals last year, we all know that, so I dont think its going to land on any one guy to replace him," Wenger said this week. "Ill do my best to contribute, but itll be on every player on the team to contribute to a larger factor." DiVaio and midfielder Andres Romero were each suspended three games for their part in a melee that erupted late in their 3-0 playoff loss to the Houston Dynamo last season. And it could be a makeshift lineup on the field with their new captain Patrice Bernier and fullback Jeb Brovsky likely limited to substitute duty, if they play at all, as they recover from injuries. A possible lineup used in training this week had four players who were mainly substitutes last season, plus their first round draft pick Erik Miller, on the field. The suspensions and injuries and the fact that they had few off-season signings were why many observers predicted the Impact will take a step back after finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference and earning their first MLS playoff berth last season. Even the MLS website had them rated last in the 19-team league in their pre-season power rankings. The Impact hope to show they can do just as well or better. Former Chicago Fire manager Frank Klopas, who replaced the fiery Marco Schallibaum as head coach, will make his Impact debut in Dallas. The former MLS and Greek league player brings a blend of the European experience and a knowledge of how games are won in the more physical North American league. Klopas goal is to allow at least 10 fewer goals than the sometimes messy 49 they conceded in 34 games last season. His influence was felt at training camp, where the Impact failed to defend their Disney Pro-Classic trophy but put a lot of time into conditioning. He hopes to give more minutes to more players to keep the team fresh throughout the campaign. Schallibaums squad last season dominated MLS in the first half, but went 1-6-1 down the stretch. "With the amount of travel we do in this league, its not easy," said Klopas. "We play a lot of games, thats why you need depth. We have to be able to rely on everybody." The biggest challenge will be in the central defence, where former Italian giant Alessandro Nesta retired as a player but stayed with the club to do video analysis. Spaniard Adrian Lopez, who tore an ACL after one game when he joined the club in August, is a month away from resuming full training. And Colombian Nelson Rivas, whose only game in 2013 was the playoff loss in which he was ejected for two yellow cards, has a hamstring injury. That leaves their defence leader Matteo Ferreri as the only healthy regular in the middle. It appears lanky fullback Hassoun Camara will move inside to start the season. The Impact also traded midfielder and former captain Davy Arnaud to D.C. United and attackers Andrea Pisanu and Daniele Paponi were let go. It appeared that 21-year-old Uruguayan forward Santiago Gonzalez would be their lone signing, but midway through camp they got a boost with the arrival of former New York Red Bulls left back Heath Pearce. Pearce is coming off hip surgery in July, but is close to match fitness. His arrival could bump Brovsky to right back and make Camara a full time centre back. The Impact also hope that having midfielder Hernan Bernardello with the team from the start of camp will make him more effective than he was after joining the team last summer. The Argentine is the teams second designated player after DiVaio. He plays a holding midfield role, just in front of the defence. When Bernier returns, they are expected to be the teams engine, launching attacks from their back position. Bernardello will also allow Bernier, a clever passer, to move up more to support the attack. They hope that will spur Brazilian midfielder Felipe Martins, perhaps their best player in 2012, after a weak campaign under Schallibaum. Wenger feels getting more players involved will help the whole team. He said DiVaio was running away with the scoring title last season until teams realized you only needed to cover him tightly to shut down the Montreal attack. "If we can have a more balanced attack, that would be important," he said. Collin Warner, who is to replace Bernier for the opener, is another who may get more playing time under Klopas. "Theres a little more direction on where players are supposed to find each other in different holes and pockets on the field," said Warner. "Thats a positive for me, being a midfielder. "The overall style is a bit quicker, more one and two-touch, so thats good." Whether it translates into more points remains to be seen. Last season, the Impact opened with surprise wins at Seattle and Portland and rode that to a big first half. "Road games test morale and character," said Bernier. "Marco wont be here for three games, but a team doesnt win with one player. "Hes a very important piece up front, but guys have to seize the opportunity." Manny Machado Jersey .Y. -- Trevor Cooney and C. Eddie Murray Orioles Jersey .C. -- If this was Jabari Parkers last home game at Duke, what a farewell it was. PHOENIX -- Another big performance by Ian Kennedy was just what the Arizona Diamondbacks needed, especially after all that happened the night before. Kennedy (11-3) gave up four hits, struck out five and walked two in his third straight win and the Diamondbacks got home runs from Justin Upton, Miguel Montero and Kelly Johnson to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0 on Thursday night and split the four-game series. The victory came one night after a 5-2, 10-inning loss, a game the Diamondbacks blew after having Upton on third with no outs in the ninth and failing to score. That game was made far worse because shortstop Stephen Drew broke his right ankle sliding into home plate. Drew, out for the season, underwent surgery on Thursday to have a plate inserted and to repair torn ligaments. "Obviously youre down when you lose one of the best players on your team," Upton said, "but we had to turn the page today." Kennedy felt the absence of the player who has been Arizonas starting shortstop since the middle of the 2006 season. "Its kind of tough not seeing him in his locker today," Kennedy said. "Hes one of my good friends. Its tough to see that happen to not just one of your teammates but one of your friends." Kennedy joined an elite group of eight pitchers in the National League with at least 11 wins. Atlantas Jair Jurrjens leads the league with 12. "Thats nice. That just shows a good bullpen, a good team around us," Kennedy said. "And as a starting pitcher, you win ball games." After scoring 16 runs in two games, the Brewers fearsome offence fell silent. Not that they didnt have their chances Thursday night. They were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position. "You get disappointed when you think you are playing pretty good and you come out and get shut out," Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. "I am glad we won some games on the trip but when you think about this game, its hard to be happy about what happened the last few days." The Brewers split the four-game series and wrap up their 11-game trip with three at San Francisco over the weekend. The Diamondbacks send Daniel Hudson in search of his 11th win Friday night against Colorado. Prince Fielder, the all-star game MVP on the same field nine days earlier, went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Still booed heartily by the Arizona fans who wont forgive him for leaving Upton off the Home Run Derby team, Fielder was 1 for 16 in the series. "He has been good so long that when he has two or three off games, a little of you is like What is wrong with Prince?" Roenicke said. "This is what every single hittter goes through. Adam Jones Orange Jersey. " Zach Greinke (7-4) struck out seven with no walks in seven innings, allowing only five hits, but two of them were solo shots by Upton and Montero in the fourth inning. Johnson added a two-run homer off LaTroy Hawkins in the eighth, his team-high 17th of the season. Bryan Shaw and Ian Patterson pitched the eighth for Arizona, then David Hernandez completed the shutout in the ninth. Uptons 16th home run, on a 3-0 count, landed in the walkway far above the 413-foot sign in left-centre. With two outs, Monteros opposite-field shot made it to the fence in left, his 11th homer, to put Arizona up 2-0. "The two home run pitches, 3-0 to Upton I just threw one over the middle and hoped it would be an out, single or even a double," Greinke said. "He hit it well. Three-0 home runs are like, whatever. The other one it was a horrible pitch to Montero. With Upton you are playing with fire on a 3-0 pitch and Montero, I was a lot more upset about that one. I just did not execute the pitch." The Brewers fell into a virtual first-place tie with idle Pittsburgh in the NL Central. The Diamondbacks picked up a half-game on idle San Francisco and trail the first-place Giants by four games in the NL West. Kennedy escaped a jam in the fifth when Yuniesky Betancourt and Jonathan Lucroy singled with two outs. Greinkes sacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third. Corey Hart walked to load the bases, but Nyjer Morgan flied out to centre to end the threat. "That was the only time tonight where I felt like I didnt have command of a couple of pitches," Kennedy said, "but I also wasnt going to give them anything to barrel. I wasnt going to throw a cookie in there." Other than that, it was smooth sailing for Arizonas 26-year-old right-hander, who improved to 33-32 since coming to Arizona in a three-team trade in December 2009. Kennedy threw 114 pitches. He has topped 100 in all but one of his 21 starts this season. Shaw relieved Kennedy and immediately got in trouble. Hart led off with a single, then Morgan was hit by a pitch. But Ryan Braun, who had doubled to lead off the sixth, grounded into a double play. Patterson, a lefty, came on to fan Fielder on three pitches. Notes: The Diamondbacks called up former major league SS Cody Ransom from triple-A Reno to help fill the void left by the season-ending injury to Drew. ... The Brewers selected the contract of OF Brett Carroll from triple-A Nashville to take the roster spot of OF Carlos Gomez, who is on the DL after breaking his left collarbone Wednesday night. ... Kennedy is 4-1 in his last six starts. jersyes nfl wholesale ' ' ' |
