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1.) tBG: Montreal seems to be a club in chaos right now. They are winless in their three matches this far and calls for new manager Frank Klopas' ouster are very loud. What went wrong? Why is the club in such disarray this early in the season?
MRS: The club took the route of "stability" with little changes made to the squad. Hoping for some kind of positive continuity, the Montreal Impact seemed to continue the negative vibe of its 2013 end of season free fall.
Not that the squad is suddenly weak, but it's average at best. With some good individuals on the team, there are too many questions marks around a back line that needed more help and more options on the wings.
Marco Di Vaio's absence has obviously a huge impact, but the club had four months to find more solutions to bolster a squad that had gaps that could not be ignored.
2.) tBG: While many of the rest of the Eastern Conference teams made lots of signings during the offseason, Montreal seemed content with what they had, only adding Uruguayan attacking midfielder Santiago González and ex-New York Red Bulls center back Heath Pearce. What do they add to Montreal that perhaps wasn't there before?
MRS: Gonzalez adds an extra attacking option as either a pivot striker or a winger. But we have barely seen him play so we are not even sure how good or bad he is. He has good MLS potential as per his scouting report but he needs to play more.
Heath Pearce would be the only natural experienced left back of the Impact, when he joined the club during preseason in Orlando. His experience will be key to take over a position that needs more experience. Not that Jeb Brovsky is a bad player - his offensive prowess as a left back is limited, but he compensates with a no nonsense defending style.
3.) tBG: Who are some Impact players who might be considered "under the radar" that Union fans should pay attention to? What makes them stand out?
MRS: Hernan Bernardello could be considered as a new signing as the Argentinean played less than 10 games last season due to injuries. He will bring more depth, talent and ``grinta`` to the midfield. Patrice Bernier hopes that Hernan will alleviate some of his defensive tasks so he can focus on creating scoring chances for the offensive players.
Bernardello is a smart player that can give important key passes but will not mind to tackle hard and leave the mark of his cleats on Maurice Edu's calves.
Starting XI:
Perkins - Miller , Camara, Ferrari, Pearce - Warner,Bernardello - Mapp , Bernier, Felipe - Di Vaio
Key Injuries:
Sanna Nyassi. He is not a star player but was an important option on the left side.
Prediction:
2-1 Montreal