The San Jose Earthquakes will face the Montreal Impact Wednesday afternoon with kickoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT at Stade Saputo in Montreal, Quebec. This midweek match is a quick turnaround for the Quakes, as they faced Sporting Kansas City Saturday night at Avaya Stadium and will take on Real Salt Lake at home on Saturday, Oct. 1.
“It is going to be a long flight,” Earthquakes defender Andres Imperiale said. “It is not easy when you play three games and have to fly so we have to recover, we have to be honest with ourselves and be 100 percent.”
For Imperiale, Wednesday’s game will give him the chance to play against some of his fellow countrymen. Montreal has four Argentinians on its roster: Hernan Bernardello, Victor Cabrera, Ignacio Patti and Andres Romero.
“They have very good players from Argentina, I have played against them a couple of times,” Imperiale said. “The forward, Igancio Piatti, for me, is one of the best in MLS. He is a very good player who plays close to my position, so we need to keep a close eye on him.”
Piatti received the Giuseppe Saputo Trophy for being the Impact Most Valuable Player in 2015, scoring 12 goals and notching 12 assists in all competitions. Piatti also helped Montreal in the CONCACAF Champions League, scoring in the first leg of the semifinal against L.D. Alajuelense and in the first leg of the final against Club América at Estadio Azteca. Piatti also lead the league for assists in 2015.
Bernardello, who like Imperiale is from Rosario, Argentina, has appeared in the last 10 games for Montreal with nine starts. During that time the Impact have gone 2-5-3, in which the midfielder scored and earned an assist.
Cabrera, has started 19 of the 21 games he has appeared in this season for Montreal, as he holds a strong defensive role for the Canadian side while Romero has not made an appearance after tearing ACL in October 2015.
“It is a very important game. Montreal is a team that plays very well, especially at home, so for us it is going to be difficult.”
Wednesday’s match will be televised on CSNCA, broadcast live in English on 1590 KLVI and in Spanish on 1370 KZSF.
