THE BASICS: Montreal Impact

Eastern Conference

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For years one of the best-performing and most powerful second-division clubs in North America, the Montreal Impact have struggled to find their way in MLS. But some things haven't changed: the club strives to nurture local talent while assembling a multicultural team. Joey Saputo has been running things since 2001, and the head coaches to seasons ratio, three in four years, is extraordinary.

Rivals

Events on and off the field the last couple years sparked animosity with Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo, but Toronto FC are bound to remain Montreal's biggest rivals. A natural rivalry persists between the two largest cities in Canada, with soccer one of many flashpoints ever since the old NASL days. In the last three years alone, the Impact and TFC collided 14 times in MLS and the Amway Canadian Championship.

2014 Recap

A year best forgotten. The slide initiated in the second half of the 2013 season carried over into 2014 in a big way. Montreal only managed six league wins — none away from home — and had to fight tooth and nail for their cup successes. Only the much-hyped arrival of Argentinean DP Ignacio Piatti appeased the Impact faithful, and even then, poor Nacho missed the last five games of the season through injury.

TRANSACTIONS IN: D Donny Toia (Dispersal Draft)

M Marco Donadel (free)

M Nigel Reo-Coker (Waiver Draft)

G Eric Kronberg (Re-Entry Stage 1 Draft)

D Bakary Soumare (Re-Entry Stage 2 Draft)

D Victor Cabrera (loan from River Plate)

F Romario Williams (SuperDraft)

D Laurent Ciman (free)

M Eric Alexander (trade from New York)

D Ambroise Oyongo (trade from New York)

F Dominic Oduro (trade from Toronto)

GK Kristian Nicht (loan from Indy Eleven)

F Cameron Porter (SuperDraft) TRANSACTIONS OUT: F Marco Di Vaio (retired)

D Matteo Ferrari (option declined)

D Mamadou 'Futty' Danso (out of contract)

M James Bissue (option declined)

M Zakaria Messoudi (option declined)

M Gorka Larrea (option declined)

GK Troy Perkins (out of contract)

D Gege Soriola (option declined)

D Heath Pearce (Expansion Draft to Orlando City)

M Issey Nakajima-Farran (waived)

M Felipe Martins (traded to New York)

D Karl Ouimette (waived)

D Krzysztof Krol (mutual termination)

2015 Prospectus

Montreal made the most of their second straight Amway Canadian Championship win: they reached the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, where they played Mexico's Pachuca to a 2-2 draw last week. The Impact hope that 12 new players will help them improve on their miserable 2014 performances, especially on the defensive end. Belgium international Laurent Ciman, at center back, is a welcome addition. Up front, a full season with Piatti may boost Montreal's offense, but Italian striker Marco Di Vaio has retired. It is up to Jack McInerney to rise to the occasion.

CLUB SOURCE: "Adam Braz has been busy in his first offseason in charge in Montreal, making a number of deals that have improved the Impact. The loss of Di Vaio and Ferrari will be difficult to replace, but the club is making progress to bounce back from a difficult 2014."

CLUB SOURCE: "They have kept Frank Klopas in charge, and consistency is needed in order to evolve. The club has made some important additions and will be much improved from 2014, but will face a tough challenge to secure a playoff spot."

PROJECTED LINEUP: 4-2-3-1 Bush; Camara, Ciman, Soumare, Tissot; Reo-Coker, Donadel, Mapp, Piatti, Romero; McInerney Complete roster [impactmontreal.com]

FANTASY SOCCER SLEEPER PICKS: Evan Bush

Laurent Ciman

Andres Romero Do you trust that rebuilt defense? Perhaps not immediately, though Ciman seems a decent bet. There's plenty of midfield talent between $7-8m, but who do you choose? Mapp, Romero, Duka and Alexander have double-digit potential, but PT is liable to be a bit fluid early. Up top, you're either betting on guile (McInerney) or raw speed (Oduro).

Armchair Analyst's Best Case Scenario

Even before Montreal went down to Pachuca and got a perfectly acceptable 2-2 draw, I had two of their Eastern Conference competitors tell me that this team is a sleeper that could work their way toward the top of the East.

I'm going to buy that, since the Ciman/Soumare defensive combo has a bunch of potential, since Piatti could be an MVP, and since Mapp/Romero/Duka on the wings will be a constant source of attacking verve. I think that – barring injury – those are all major positives

But they need something to go right up top and in goal. The Impact's ceiling is higher than you probably think, but unless Jack McInerney makes "The Leap," they're not contenders.