role. Patty Mills chipped in 10 as those three accounted for 50 second-

"Marco Who?" was likely trending heavily on Montreal area social media networks back on the morning of January 6. Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. An ex-player of some maverick type repute, upon retiring Marco Schällibaum settled into coaching. Well, sort of. Managing six clubs in about half of the time the Impact have existed for. The new head coach did not have to wait long though to meet up with his new charges. Medicals and training camp was only a fortnight away. With Marco Di Vaio arriving into Montreal around the same time as Schällibaum and well ahead of his teammates so as to ensure his fitness to begin the campaign was at the best possible levels - we got our first hint a strong theme of training camp was to be fitness over football. In 2012, the Impact gave up points way too easily, way too often in the closing stages of games, killing off opponents the most worrisome trend of that inaugural campaign. 2013s training camps other theme was an over emphasis on team bonding. Schällibaum was onto something. He must have got something right did the new dug out general. Just over a month after kicking the first ball in anger over at the Impacts Marie-Victorin training complex, the Impact would pick up the first of two pieces of scarce silverware. The annual rite of MLS pre-season, the Disney Pro Soccer Classic down in Orlando. With Justin Mapp registering the winner against the Crew. A player released and re-signed for less money in the off season, it was the perfect response to the adversity of 2012. A harbinger for good things to come for the native Mississippian who knew he needed to convince and compel management immediately if he held any designs on a regular starting role. The Impact backed up the Orlando statement of intention by getting off to that flyer with back to back wins in two of the most battle-scarred, road-weary stadiums in all of MLS. Seattle and Portland do not give up points easily. They are earned the old fashioned way. Spring would see almost everything coming up roses in the Olympic Stadium and Stade Saputo football gardens. By Mays end a decond trophy. Toronto disposed of as Canadian Champions finally, the Impact yet again spoiling Vancouver Voyageurs Cup dreams courtesy of a late Camara equalizer. With little or no time to properly celebrate another trophy the club clambered aboard a flight direct to Kansas. Less than 72 hours later the Impact stole three points at Sporting Park. A Trophy and three more valuable MLS road points were checked at customs at arrival back in la belle ville. Up to that juncture, the Impact went about their craft; collecting points for fun winning eight of their 12 league matches to date. Having their 20th anniversary cake and eating it they most certainly were. Playing the best football by far by any team in the league - not so much winning matches but playing an expressive and expansive type game and 1 which was completely unrecognisable from your typical 90 MLS minutes On the beautiful game ledger during the middle of May, the Impact pulverized elite MLS crème in the formidable shape of RSL, and those Union pretenders. Eight goals, six points - move along please. The early June International break could not have been better timed following June 1s Sporting KC victory. Time to rest some very well deserved tiring legs and aching limbs over a late spring soccer sojourn for the club. However, when we look back now it was at this exact point Bad Impact reared its ugly head for a very first time Something happened. Let there be no doubt. Had thought of extensive travel the dreaded gruel of a Champions League Group stage turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy? Almost exactly two months removed from KC ecstasy and following the August 3 wholly embarrassing 3-1 tanking in DC, the tale of that tape read nine matches played a meagre nine point return. The Impacts lofty 2.25 points per game average replaced by a points-per-game average over a two month period that gets you relegation every season in the Barclays Premier League. The Impacts culture had undergone a football face lift. Fortunately, the Impact did not melt under the summer heat of August as they blazed a trail. Good Impact pressing its claim as best in the league come the Labour Day weekend point. Between then and Thanksgiving weekend the players, the entire club itself may as well have withdrawn their labour. Hardly a football harvest was to follow. Tissots late game equalizer in Chicago alongside a late game winner in the penultimate game of the regular season from Ouimette, another Impact Academy product was all the club had to show for itself during the run in. Just as all other clubs around them raised performances at the most critical juncture of the season. No one could have imagined following the four goal smashing of the Revs in Foxboro on September 8 that on the very last day of the regular season the club would have to rely on others to reach the playoff promised land. Then by the tiniest of goal difference margins sporting identical regular season records the Impact stole a march on the Fire. Houston beckoned four days later. The inquest and finger pointing is well underway as the club now attempt to come to terms with why over the course of the season such unimagined possibilities at the start of the year turned into fall time shortest of playoff coffees. Let it all though be put into a proper and clearer context. In 1 season the club had transformed itself both on and off the pitch. Not only was Stade Saputo full to overflowing match after match to watch MDV weave his magic on hapless defenders doing their very best impressions of Montreals infamous pylons - the vibrancy of a true football matchday atmosphere has begun taking genuine shape down Olympic Park way. Football sophistication very much the order of the day. The most magical moment of the season happening for me wasnt another counter attack clinic with the ball ending up in the back of the net from the tightest of rational angles. Instead, it was one summers evening when closing my eyes and drifting back to a point in time that begun early in childhood. Next time you attend Saputo Stadium. Close your eyes to the action. Dont worry you wont miss any of the action. Allow that wall of sound, footballs own unique language, commentate you through the action. An exact type sound we all heard earlier today during the first legs of Brazil 2014 Playoff action across Europe. The playoffs and new football meeting old football - a successful season by any stretch of the imagination. You can reach and follow Noel Butler at: Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel Cheap Shoes From China . LOUIS -- Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks won the matchup of unbeaten teams. China Shoes Nike . Finlands Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves to lead Dallas over the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 Saturday night. He received plenty of help from the Stars defence and got goals from Ray Whitney and Russias Valeri Nichushkin. https://www.chinashoesshop.com/ . She still remembers the massive roar of the home crowd when the Canadians walked out on the pitch before 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002. Lang expects a similar reception for the Canadian team as the host nation at this years tournament, which begins Tuesday. China Shoes Wholesale . Of course that doesnt mean hes ignoring it. Thats actually rather impossible given the behind-the-scenes access to the Toronto Maple Leafs the network is getting. China Shoes Cheap . Wayne and Cindy Tuck of Ilderton, Ont., closed out round-robin play earlier in the day with a 7-3 win over Finland but needed a win over Austria to reach the final eight.The San Antonio Spurs return home for Wednesdays Game 5 of their Western Conference quarterfinals series with the Dallas Mavericks tied 2-2. San Antonio knotted the series with its Texas rival on Monday night with a 93-89 road victory at American Airlines Center. The two squads head back to AT&T Center Wednesday night, a place the Mavericks won Game 2 handily and shouldve won Game 1. "In the playoffs, I dont think teams are ever too satisfied with wins, or ever too depressed with losses," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "You just dont have time for it and doesnt do you any good." In Game 3, Dallas Vince Carter hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the contest. On Monday, the Spurs put the clamps on the Mavericks late in the game. With the game tied at 87-apiece late in the fourth quarter, Boris Diaw nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 32.9 seconds left to give the Spurs the lead. Monta Ellis missed a trey for the tie at the other end, but Dirk Nowitzki corralled the offensive rebound and put it back in, cutting the deficit to one. Manu Ginobili then split a pair of free throws with 10.4 seconds left to make it a two-point game. Coming out of a timeout, Ellis drove the lane and tried banking in the layup to tie, but his attempt clanked off the rim and Tim Duncan grabbed the rebound with 1.9 seconds left. Ginobili hit a pair of free throws to seal it and send the series back to San Antonio all knotted up.dddddddddddd "Boris hit a shot and we couldnt come back at the other end and hit a shot like we should," said Ellis. "I had a good look at the end but it didnt go down." Ginobili paced the Spurs with 23 points off the bench, while Diaw netted 17 points in a reserve role. Patty Mills chipped in 10 as those three accounted for 50 second-unit points. "The bench did a fine job in what weve been used to for the season," said Popovich. "It was a big help for us tonight. Holding them to 89 is a lot better than 109 and thats what has to happen." Duncan tallied 14 points with 10 rebounds and Tiago Splitter notched 10 points with 12 boards in the win. Tony Parker finished with 10, but suffered an ankle injury. "He has a Grade 1 sprain and hell be day-to-day," Popovich said of Parker. Ellis led the Mavs with 20 points despite shooting 6-of-20 from the floor. Nowitzki, who made 7-of-19 attempts from the field, finished with 19 points and Samuel Dalembert pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds in the setback. One player who Dallas coach Rick Carlisle wont have available for Wednesday night is DeJuan Blair. The big man was suspended for Game 5 by the NBA after an incident in Game 4 when he kicked Splitter in the head while the two were tangled on the floor. Game 6 will be Friday night in Dallas. ' ' '