New head coach vows to put stamp on rebuilding Impact
Owner says former French star’s vision, experience key to ‘fresh start’ for team
The Impact will have a new look when they kick off the 2018 Major League Soccer season.
The question is: Will they be better?
After losing the Eastern Conference final to Toronto FC in 2016, the Impact failed to even make the playoffs in 2017 with an 1117-6 record, finishing ninth in the conference.
The changes for 2018 start with new head coach Rémi Garde replacing Mauro Biello, who was fired. Captain Patrice Bernier is also gone, retiring to become an assistant coach with the Impact Academy teams. Those two moves weren’t surprising.
It was, however, a shock when the Impact announced they had traded Laurent Ciman — the Defender of the Year in MLS during the 2015 season — to the expansion Los Angeles FC last month in exchange for former Toronto FC fullback Raheem Edwards and left-back Jukka Raitala, who had been selected in the MLS expansion draft.
Ciman’s agent, Jean Russo, claimed the 32-year-old Belgian international — who had become a fan favourite in Montreal — had a verbal agreement with the Impact to finish his career in the city.
Defender Hassoun Camara, another fan favourite, announced his retirement in November at age 33, a decision brought on by injuries after seven seasons with the Impact. Camara was as elegant off the field as he was on it with his graceful stride, communicating with the media and fans thoughtfully and articulately in both English and French.
Fullback Ambroise Oyongo, 27, also left the Impact to sign with French Ligue-1 club Montpellier.
The Impact picked up the team option on designated-player Blerim Dzemaili for the 2018 season — he’ll most likely miss time while playing for Switzerland at the World Cup — but opted not to pick up options for midfielder Andres Romero and defender Shaun Francis. Midfielder Hernan Bernardello and third-string goalkeeper Eric Kronberg were also told they won’t be back.
The Impact even got rid of popular equipment manager Aldo Ricciuti.
This is definitely Garde’s team now with the new head coach signing a three-year contract that also makes him the Impact’s director of player personnel.
But it will be interesting to see if Garde can last the three years as he becomes the Impact’s fifth head coach since the team joined MLS for the 2012 season, following Jesse Marsch, Marco Schallibaum, Frank Klopas and Biello.
“Today we are laying a solid foundation with a different approach,” Impact president Joey Saputo said after introducing Garde as the new head coach in early November.
“We believe Rémi’s tremendous experience, his vision and knowledge of the game, his management style, his intimate understanding of youth development will give this club a new start at every level.”
Garde, 51, won the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions in 2012 with Olympique Lyonnais, where he was head coach and technical director from 201114.
He left Lyon for personal reasons and returned to coaching with Aston Villa a year later, but lasted just over four months in the English Premier League, departing in March 2016. His team was in last place with seven games remaining in the season and headed toward relegation for the first time.
“I think that the fact that the vision of Mr. Saputo was clear helps me to understand the project,” Garde said after being introduced as the new Impact coach.
“I love my team to possess the ball, because I remember when I was a player a long time ago — I remember that I preferred to run when my team had the ball, instead of running after the ball.
“They (players) are all the same and I understand that,” said the new coach, who was selected six times for the French national team
I love my team to possess the ball. I remember that I preferred to run when my team had the ball, instead of running after the ball.
as a defensive midfielder, including Euro 1992, and spent more than 25 years playing for his hometown club Lyon after joining the team’s academy when he was 13.
“In the meantime, if you don’t have the players with this capacity, you have to be pragmatic and you have to adapt yourself and the ball as well.
“When you work on a different system, you can adapt a different strategy as well, because you’re playing a team that’s better than you, or you’re missing one or two key players and you change your strategy for one game. But normally, I like that my team controls the game.”
Impact fans are hoping for a team that can simply win more games — and make the playoffs.
They’ll get their first look at the new-look Impact when they kick off the MLS season against the Whitecaps in Vancouver on March 4.
The Impact will visit the Columbus Crew on March 10, before playing their home opener against Toronto FC — the MLS Cup champions — on Saturday, March 17 at Olympic Stadium.