Posted by

Kevin Duarte ,

January 30, 2013 Email

Kevin Duarte



Twitter @DuarteK27 Read this on your iPhone/iPad or Android device





It is the second week of training camp for the Montreal Impact. The squad will train in Montreal for another week and a few days before heading down to Florida to continue their pre-season.



The Roster



On Jan. 21, the start of training camp, the Impact had 31 players on its pre-season roster. Twenty-two players were first team players returning from last summer, five were invited from the Academy, three came from the SuperDraft and one was on-trial.



By the time the second week kicked off on Monday morning, two players have already departed the club. On Sunday, the Impact announced the acquisition of an international roster spot valid for 2013 and 2014 from the Seattle Sounders for midfielder Lamar Neagle. Neagle, along with Mike Fucito, joined the Impact last year from Seattle as part of the Eddie Johnson trade.



With the addition, Montreal now has 11 international roster spots at its disposal. Eight spots are currently being used, leaving three open for the upcoming season. One, or more, spots look like they will be filled, based on a recent tweet by club president Joey Saputo.



"The latest trade now opens the door to go after a foreigner; will he be from Europe or South America? My bet is South America. Stay tuned," read Saputo's tweet from Jan. 27.



The player from South America would ideally be an attacking player, either a striker or winger. This was confirmed by Montreal's Sporting Director Nick De Santis. The addition of a forward should be top of the agenda for the club before the season starts. Montreal is lacking support and numbers in the final attacking third of the pitch.



The second player to leave the club's pre-season squad was Nick Zimmerman, who was on-trial from the Carolina RailHawks. According to a report, the Impact did not make an offer for the midfielder. Zimmerman is under contract with the NASL side and as a result required a transfer fee in order to join the Impact.



Although he never made his way to the club, Paolo DelPiccolo, a second-round draft pick in this year's SuperDraft, also made a move to Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt following a successful trial. He is joining the German side's academy team. The Impact still hold DelPiccolo's rights should he return to the MLS.



On the current squad, Montreal is still required to fill in a third Canadian player slot. Currently, Patrice Bernier and Karl W. Ouimette are the only Canadians under contract in the Senior team. Head coach Marco Schällibaum confirmed the third player will be from the Academy.



The Training Sessions



Schällibaum; and his new technical staff consisting of assistant coaches Mauro Biello and Philippe Eullaffroy, goalkeeper coach Youssef Dahha and fitness coach Paolo Pacione, had the squad training at a level of high-intensity throughout the first week. Pacione had each player running through a series of fitness drills and tests. Schällibaum, and the rest of his staff, has already started with his tactical sessions.



At this point of the season preparations, fitness training with a high level of intensity is a must in order to get the squad back into shape. Being a new coach, introducing new tactics was also an obligation for Schällibaum. The Impact and Schällibaum seem to share the same tactical approach, so adjusting to the new head coach's orders shouldn't take that long.



Impact players are slowly starting to understand Schällibaum's playing style after the first few days of training camp.



"It's a different philosophy," said goalkeeper Troy Perkins about Schällibaum's training sessions. "You can see what the new manager is trying to accomplish. There are a lot of layers and levels of what he is trying to do. You can see it from day one, were we started very slow with some pattern play, and now we're building into playing [at game speed]. The philosophy and ideas he wants us to have are being planted in us."



Defender Jeb Brovsky says he is no stranger to new coaches in his playing career. Adjusting to Schällibaum will just have to be another challenge for the Colorado native.



"It's always a new experience, so credit to him [Marco Schällibaum]," he said. "He's come in and really grasped the city and the team and I think the guys really respect him. It's a good start , and now getting more in tactical stuff, I think we're going to get more together going into to Orlando and where we'll see this team really come together."



The Upcoming Weeks



On Feb. 7, the Montreal will take off to Florida to continue their pre-season training. The team will participate in the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic which kicks off on Feb. 9 against Sporting Kansas City. Four days later, the Impact will face the Tampa Bar Rowdies in midweek action, followed by two back-to-back games on Feb. 15 and Feb. 16. On Feb. 15, Montreal will face the Philadelphia Union in Jacksonville in a friendly not part of the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic. The following day's match against D.C. United counts for the tournament.



The Impact are scheduled to return home on Feb. 24 where they will prepare for the first match of the season against Seattle on March 2.