

Posted by

Kamal Hylton ,

March 28, 2014 Email

Kamal Hylton

On Twitter:

@KamalHylton

First Thoughts

A postponement due to weather and Olympic Stadium roof concerns in combination with a 2-0 loss in the home opener to the Seattle Sounders has made for a horrendous start to the 2014 Montreal Impact season, with the club losing their third straight game and currently sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.



However, Frank Klopas is finally able to incorporate his star forward into the starting XI this weekend, as last season’s 20 goal scorer in Marco Di Vaio has completed serving his three match suspension and he will lead the line when the Impact travel to Chester, Pennsylvania and PPL Park to battle the Philadelphia Union.



Keep Thinking

Philly has been one of the surprise teams in this early part of the season. Even putting their 2-1 away defeat to Columbus Crew to one side, the additions that coach John Hackworth and the organization have made have seen the club combine toughness with technique. The improvement of the team can be summed up when looking at the midfield and the building relationship between U.S. International Maurice Edu and Frenchmen Vincent Nogueira. Both players have shown the ability to protect the back line but the versatility of both players to also contribute to attacking play has given Hackworth more freedom tactically and allowed the likes of Sebastien Le Toux, Christian Maidana and Leo Fernandes to express themselves.



The approach Klopas takes in this match with Di Vaio now eligible to play will be interesting, as although he's all but assured his place up front, the veteran goal poacher will still need time to build up the natural chemistry that comes with live game action. In the first three matches Montreal have played a 4-2-3-1/4-3-2-1 formation but going with a two forward formation with Di Vaio and Andrew Wenger could be an option going up against a central defensive pairing of Amobi Akugo and Austin Berry.



Unlike the usual narrative that would accompany these two clubs, the key to this match won't be about physicality or keeping defensive shape. The upper hand will go to the team that can get more quality from the wide positions and take advantage of set pieces.



Final Thoughts

Admittedly this has been rough start to the season for Montreal, who have arguably had one of the most difficult opening schedules in the league. With Di Vaio back in the fold, one could see the Impact pick up their first points of the season.



Prediction

Montreal Impact 1-1 Philadelphia Union