which starts in two weeks.
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 8:20 amThe 2013 season looked like it was going to be a great story for the Montreal Impact. . They entered their second season as a member of Major League Soccer and were on pace to easily qualify for the playoffs and show impressive franchise growth. In September the teams form took a turn for the worse as they were only able to win twice and pick up a draw from their final nine games. Their slide took them from a share of the Eastern Conference lead on September 8, all the way to a final game loss to Toronto FC that forced them into a one-game elimination playoff matchup in Houston against the Dynamo. Much the way their regular season ended, the trip to Texas was a disaster for the Impact. Not only were they beaten 3-0 by the Dynamo thanks to two first-half goals and a second-half insurance marker, they completely lost their composure in the waning minutes of the game. Defender Nelson Rivas was the first to go, as he picked up his second yellow card in the 72nd minute. In the final minute of the match, defender Andres Romero and forward Marco Di Vaio were both shown red cards for their parts in a skirmish that erupted in the corner near the Impact goal. The latter two players were suspended for two extra games in addition to the one they already received for the red cards. The team and head coach Marco Schallibaum were also fined for repeated mass confrontation violations. Now from the ashes of the Impacts burned down season comes one final spark in the form of a rumour. Sports Illustrateds Grant Wahl is reporting that just-retired Impact defender Alessandro Nesta will be replacing Schallibaum as head coach of the team. There is precedent for such a move, as early in the year Toronto FC made retiring Queens Park Rangers defender Ryan Nelsen - who had no coaching experience - their new head coach. If the Impact pull the trigger, Nesta will become their third head coach in three seasons since the club joined MLS. Our questions to you are, where should the Montreal Impact go from here? Do you take a positive or negative view of the 2013 season? And if Schallibaum is on his way out, would you like to see Nesta or a more experienced coach hired to fill the position? As always, its Your! Call. . A two-sport standout in his senior year of high school, Larkin went to the University of Michigan on a scholarship to play defensive back for Schembechlers Wolverines. . He made the comment at a media availability Saturday prior to Game 2 of the Boston-Montreal playoff series when a Quebec reporter said there is sentiment in Quebec that the NHL looks more favourably on Seattle than Quebec City when it comes to future expansion. . The second-ranked Serb has been practicing hard as he prepares for this weeks Italian Open and the French Open, which starts in two weeks. "Right now I feel much more confident at the state of my wrist and I know that Im ready much more to play a match than I was one week ago," Djokovic said Sunday after attracting thousands of spectators to a practice session with Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka on the Foro Italicos spectacular Pietrangeli court, which is lined with neo-classical statues.ROME -- Roma forward Mattia Destro was banned for three matches Tuesday for punching Cagliari defender Davide Astori, handing the second-place squad a big blow for its faint Serie A title hopes. The ban could also affect Destros selection chances for Italys World Cup squad, due to national team coach Cesare Prandellis code of ethics. The incident occurred during the first half of Romas 3-1 win Sunday, in which Destro scored a hat trick. It was the first hat trick of Destros career and it brought his scoring total to 13 goals in 18 matches ssince starting his injury-delayed season in December. . While Destro was not sanctioned by the referee, he was cautioned in the match for another incident and due to accumulated cards will miss another game, meaning hell be unavailable for four of Romas six remaining matches -- pending a possible appeal. Roma trails Italian league leader Juventus by eight points and hosts the Bianconeri in the penultimate round. Romas problems mounted as defender Mehdi Benatia was ruled out for a month with a left leg muscle tear. ' ' '