Hard to imagine a venue, which played host to one of the Montreal Impacts most memorable matches in their history when over 55,000 packed in for the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals in February 2009, would play spoiler for todays home opener.
[b]Larry Allen Jersey[/b] . There goes my thinking as a parent that snow days only occurred at school. Not in a domed building. This for a stadium which has such a tarnished history it makes the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar appear like a rational decision. Increment weather may have played its part but the real issue here though is with the building itself. Todays postponement has certainly taken the gloss on what has been a very successful couple of months for the Impact off the pitch. Earlier this week the club announced a number of supplier partnerships which are expected to dramatically improve the in-stadium experience. This follows up from a number of announcements and events which have occurred throughout the off season. The Klopas announcement in mid-December could not have been better timed, as later that evening the Impact staged their inaugural Members General Assembly. Staged at the very same downtown hotel the Sounders will spend an extra night in this weekend, the event drew a highly passionate crowd of in excess of 500 season ticket holders who interacted with the Impacts brain trust. A Members Council comprising of 15 fans was introduced, it is they who will represent the supporters and stage regular meetings with club officials. The first of those meetings took place in the Impacts locker room at Saputo Stadium last month. How relieved David Moyes must be that Manchester United dont hold similar events. The bond between fan and club was further strengthened just before the season got underway when the Impact launched their new home shirt at a downtown venue which played host to Adele last time the Grammy winner played in town. There arent many supporters clubs in all of MLS as old as Montreals UM02, who ironically trace their roots back to the time the Toronto Lynx bought a boisterous number to Montreal for an A-League game back in 2002. The Montreal Impact could not have paid UM02 a greater compliment than by incorporating their moto "Toujours Fidèles" inside the collar of the new home shirt. The relationship between UM02 and the Impact has come a long way since the time of a walk out protest the night the Impact unveiled their MLS logo at an NASL match back in August 2011. It cant be overstated the role UM02 and the other supporters clubs, which have sprung up since MLS came to Montreal in 2012, play in bringing new fans through the gates. The appetite for MLS has grown over the past two seasons, as has a much more genuine soccer atmosphere on match days. Dont be surprised if their ranks are swelled Sunday afternoon with a cameo appearance by Montreal Mayor, Denis Coderre - likely wearing the Impact shirt that was given to him when the Mayor met with Joey Saputo at City Hall early in the new year. When the club began their 2014 season ticket push last July an area of weakness in need of much improvement was with the Montreal business community. That matter seems to have been addressed in the off season. Try finding yourself a Saputo Stadium corporate box for the season. Increased chats about the Impact around the office water cooler can be nothing but a good thing. With the confirmation late this afternoon the game will go ahead Sunday afternoon, the Impact will need to build on what was an impressive display in Houston. Play those 90 minutes again and there is no way Houston would emerge with a 1-0 victory. Undeserved as the defeat was these though are the games that come the end of the season can be the difference maker when the playoff positions are handed out. Bruin got the fortunate deflection, Wenger the bobble of the ball when clean through on goal. A bounce here, a bounce there, the margin between defeat and victory can be cruel. The key now is how the team react to that set back. Playing against a team which suffered a home defeat last time out and one which is supposed to be amongst the Western Conference pace setters adds to the task. Of no consequence is the absence of USMNT star Clint Dempsey. The Impacts defence which looked shaky through the pre-season and during the opener in Dallas need to be focused, organized and disciplined throughout the 90. The early season form of rookie right back Eric Miller has been most impressive. He plays with the confidence of an MLS veteran and has certainly seized his opportunities. Continuing to play as he has, then the number two position is his to lose. With a fine display through a little over 70 minutes on the pitch in Houston its hard to imagine that Bernier underwent serious knee surgery in the off season. Just as Di Vaios goals did through 2013, Berniers relationship and understanding with Bernadello will go a long way to define the Impacts season. The Impact will be hoping the Olympic Stadium turf does not have any adverse effects on their 30-something skipper. The MLS All Star is the heartbeat of the club, on and off the pitch. You can reach and follow Noel Butler at:Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter
[b]Dwight Clark Jersey[/b] . - Connor McDavid scored twice and added two assists as the Erie Otters beat the Sarnia Sting 7-3 on Saturday night in Ontario Hockey League action.
[b]Antone Exum Jersey[/b] . Louis Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia will have surgery on his left shoulder this week and is expected to miss the rest of the season.REGINA -- Young, loose and happy to be here. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats go into the 101st Grey Cup with very little pressure and a lot of love. A Hamilton team with 18 CFL rookies on the roster, without a stadium and sometimes hot water, has come a very long way this season. Their journey has taken them all the way to Saskatchewan, where the predominant colour in winter is white but the locals bleed green. Rider Nation expects a lot from the Roughriders. "Carrying the Weight of a Nation," was the headline in Saturdays Regina Leader-Post. City buses have been flashing "Go Riders Go" all week as they snake through the snowy roads. The underdog Tiger-Cats are hoping to spoil the party. And their motivation has been ramped up by the Rider love-in this week, including the CFL awards show. "Everything seemed like it was about Saskatchewan," said Hamilton linebacker Brandon Isaac, who won the Cup last year as an Argo. "That got a lot of guys fired up, got the blood boiling." Added veteran quarterback Henry Burris: "At the awards show it was like Hey, welcome to history, history, history, history, history. ... Of course they werent talking about us and then all of a sudden it was like Hey. dont forget Hamilton is here." The Ticats understand they are in enemy territory but have nevertheless turned Rider Pride into a big chip on their black-and-gold shoulders. It has made for the ultimate us-against-the world scenario. Its been that way all season. While their new stadium is being built, the Ticats spent the year commuting to McMaster for practice and Guelph for games. "For all the things that people said we couldnt overcome and all the different obstacles that have been thrown at us ... we should have just folded the tent and just went home before the season started," said Burris. "We believed in ourselves, and the talent that we had in that (locker) room," he added. "All we had to do is really commit ourselves and sacrifice everything away from football and truly commit ourselves to making ourselves a better team." Coach Kent Austin has little sympathy for issues like cold showers and other annoying byproducts of their nomadic season. That message has trickled down to his players. "Its something you put up with," Austin said. "No big deal. Welcome to the game of life. "We dont whine about things like that or make excuses." Hamilton (10-8) started the season 1-4 but finished it on a 4-1 run, before adding two more victories in the post-season. The hours spent on buses has made for a team that genuinely enjoys its own company. "You enjoy coming to work every day," Isaac said of the teams relaxed vibe, " because you dont know whats going to happen but you know something goods going to happen."t; Burris, one of several influential veterans on the team, demonstrated that when he broke into an Arnold Schwarzenegger imitation as he met the media after a short practice.
[b]Jeff Wilson Jersey[/b]. The Ticats spent no more than half a hour Saturday on the chilly Mosaic Stadium field where the temperature was minus-16 and felt like minus-25. The forecast is better for Sundays kickoff at minus-three or four. The frigid conditions this week were new to many of the Tiger-Cats and more than a few looked uncomfortable as they stepped out onto the frozen tundra earlier in the week. Isaac, a native of South Carolina, called the frigid practice conditions "brutal" but said the team has dealt with it. Burris also noted that the Ticats had to play in plenty of cold, wet, windy and ugly conditions in Guelph. "We faced it all. Through it all, weve trumped it and we found ways to achieve triumph through those situations. So our team has been mentally prepared for whatever Mother Nature has thrown at us." And the 38-year-old Burris says that his young teammates understand that while cold is fleeting, a CFL championship is for ever. "To see how the way our guys have embraced this moment. They truly understand that if this all its going to take for us to win a championship, then hey were all up for it." Hamilton has weapons to get the job done. Led by Burris (4,927 yards), the Tiger-Cats were second to Toronto in passing while rookie C.J. Gable (782 yards) was fourth in the league in rushing. But Hamilton ranked sixth in scoring and gave up a league-high 65 sacks. And while Burris once played in Regina, Gable -- a California boy -- clearly is no fan of the cold. The Tiger-Cat defence ranked fifth in the league in points yielded at 26.0 a game (Saskatchewan led at 22.1) and has a league-worst 35 sacks. It faces a Roughrider offence that ranked second in the league in scoring (519 points). Hamilton has won the Grey Cup 15 times including eight as the Tiger-Cats. The last championship came in 1999 in a 32-21 win over Calgary at B.C. Place in Hamiltons last trip to the final. The Tiger-Cats are poised to move into their new stadium next season and owner Bob Young says the team is headed to financial stability for the first time in 42 years. A Grey Cup win would be a big shiny ribbon on that bow. Austin, who preaches accountability but gives his players room to breathe, said his team understands there are many people depending on them Sunday. "I told our players when you take the field, when you prepare during the week, youre not just doing it for your teammates ... it should matter to everybody that theres other people that it matters to. "It doesnt matter where theyre at in the organization, we have a lot of people counting on this going well. That should matter to you." ' ' '
