Montreal, PQ - A long day of travel, foreboding clouds and intermittent rain showers could not dampen the spirits of Canadian Soccer League newcomers, Milltown FC, who took to the Stade Saputo pitch for their first official match against fellow league newcomers, Montreal Impact Academy.  Both teams had their chances to score but ultimately settled for a scoreless draw.

Under the guidance of Assistant Coach Vladimir Klinovsky, who stepped in for Head Coach Rafael Carbajal while he serves as a member of the Canadian U20 Men’s National Team Coaching Staff, Milltown FC’s youthful squad dominated possession for long stretches of the match and defended well when necessary.

Led by strong performances from goalkeeper Scott Cliff, central defender Thierry Mangwa and midfielders Jason Morgan and Martijn Kuijpers, Milltown FC was very effective controlling the middle of the pitch for most of the game.  Unfortunately, the visitors struggled to make the most of their chances in the final third, although Agustin De Medina did have a few excellent chances on net, especially in the first half.  Impact Academy goalkeeper, Andrei Badescu, was very effective, especially collecting crosses put into the 18 yard box.

The home team was well organized defensively and created some dangerous chances of their own on the counter attack, forcing Cliff, MTFC’s captain, to make a few excellent saves to keep his shutout intact.

“Travelling to Quebec is never easy so getting a point from this match is a big accomplishment for our club,” said Coach Klinovsky.  “We played an aggressive, attacking  style and could have decided the game in the first half but Montreal’s keeper made some very good saves.”

The Montreal Impact reserve team (Trois Rivières Attak) had a perfect 9-0-0 home record in 2009.

“I am very proud of my team and this result clearly shows that the hard work they have put in so far is starting to pay off,” said Coach Carbajal, via email from National Team camp in Holland. “We need to continue down the same path, working hard and believing that we will be a hard team to play against for the other teams in the league.”

Milltown FC has a bye week coming up.  Their next game is on May 28, 2010, when they face 2009 CSL runners-up Serbian White Eagles.  This will be the club’s first ever home game at Bishop Reding Secondary School in Milton.  Game time is 8pm.

Scoring Summary:    
NONE

Milltown FC Disciplinary Summary:
78th minute - Jason Morgan (Yellow)
80th Minute – Germain Sefa (Yellow)

Milltown FC Starting Lineup:
Scott Cliff, Germain Sefa, Thierry Mangwa, Ben Ragan, Michael Jan, Jason Morgan, Cordell Benjamin, Martijn Kuijpers, Agustin De Medina, Erwin Balazs, Gersi Xhuti

Milltown FC Substitutes:
Daniel Mendez, Chad Fernandez, Range Hussein, Jesse Mahal, Brandon De Serpa, Danilo Richards, Colin Keay

Milltown FC Substitutions:
58th minute – Xhuti out, De Serpa in
58th minute – Balazs out, Hussein in
84th minute – De Serpa out, Richards in