The Vancouver Whitecaps' success early in their first season of Major League Soccer has certainly caught the eye of their former rivals, the Montreal Impact.

The Impact begin their final season in the new version of the North American Soccer League on Saturday in Tampa Bay, but will be joining Vancouver in MLS in 2012.

The Whitecaps, still with several players from last year's team, have a win, a 1-0 loss and two draws in MLS thus far. Their eight goals scored is tied for the league lead with Colorado and Kansas City.

"It's great to see," said Impact veteran Nevio Pizzolitto. "I'm very happy for the success they're having.

"They have a good team. They brought in some quality players and they have a coach [Teitur Thordarson] that has a system where he knows what he wants from his players and he's getting that. It's encouraging for all of Canada that we can have quality here."

The Whitecaps, who won their first game 4-2 over Toronto FC, joined MLS along with Portland, who are off to an 0-2-1 start. Toronto joined MLS in 2007 with a start-up team, while Vancouver and Montreal have had consistently strong clubs in lower leagues for several years. TFC is 1-1-1, including a win over Portland.

Montreal will become the league's 19th franchise next season, but for now, they've got their current league to think about.

"We're excited to perform and to try to win another championship," said Pizzolitto. "There are three titles - the Nutrilite Canadian Championship, the regular season and the playoffs, so we want to win all three."

Midfielder Simon Gatti hopes to make the jump to MLS with the team.

"I've been very impressed with Vancouver," he said. "I watch as many games as I can on TV and Teitur's done a great job.

"They have some guys from their team last year doing well and that gives us hope that maybe we have a chance to make MLS. Also, they have a great academy there. They started that a couple of years ago, bringing in people from all over. That's what you have to do. You want to have Quebec-born players for sure but you have to look elsewhere as well because there's a lot of talent in Canada."

Impact coach Marc Dos Santos is sick of hearing about MLS because there is still this season to play.

Big changes were made in the off-season as some players retired and the club dropped others they felt had no chance of making it to MLS. Others were brought in, including American goalkeeper Bill Gaudette who will start against Tampa Bay.

Former Whitecap Zurab Tisiskaridze, French defender Hassoun Camara and midfielders Amir Lowery and Luke Kreamalmeyer are other newcomers in the starting 11, while returning players are Pizzolitto, Gatti, Philippe Billy, Pierre-Rudolph Mayard, Antonio Ribeiro and Ali Gerba.

Dos Santos said spending 12 days together at a pre-season camp in Arizona helped integrate the new players.

"It's good for the city and good for the club that we're in MLS but that's in 2012, so let's enjoy and live and focus on 2011," he said. "People who think our league will be easy with only eight teams are people that haven't been following soccer."

He said Tampa Bay has also improved, bringing in experienced players from around North America like Frankie Sanfilippo from Rochester and David Hayes from Portland.

The teams will also be playing the first match at the new 7,000-seat Al Lang Stadium in St Petersburg, Fla.

And Montreal has brutal record in season openers, with an 0-2-4 record in their last six.

The Impact are also without midfielders Leonardo Di Lorenzo (thigh) and David Testo (ankle), defender Hicham Aaboubou (thigh) and forward Reda Agourram (thigh). Defender Richard Pelletier will serve the first of a six-game suspension for an incident in a playoff loss to Carolina last fall.

Gatti will start a season opener for the first time in six years and will play his 100th game for the Impact.