After a long and grueling season I’d like to congratulate both teams for making the A-League Championship match. We played Montreal twice this year, once home and once away and also hosted Seattle here at Blackbaud Stadium. I am looking forward to watching this game on FOX Sports World and an early prediction is that we may see the A-League Championship attendance record broken!
Offense:
Montreal striker Eddie Sebrango leads the charge for the Impact. If Seattle does not shut him down they will live to regret it. Seattle will be missing Welton through suspension and will have to count on young forward Roger Levesque to carry the load. I also feel that Montreal needs to keep a close watch on Jonathan Bolanos who is a creative and dangerous midfielder.
Advantage: Even
Defense:
Montreal finally conceded a goal last Sunday, their first in the 2004 playoffs. Despite this, I still believe that the Impact defense is the best in the A-League. Gabriel Gervais, Nevio Pizzolito and goalkeeper Greg Sutton anchor the solid nucleus of the Montreal defense. Seattle also has a solid back-line but the advantage must go to the Impact.
Advantage: Montreal
Intangibles:
No home team has ever lost an A-League Championship game. This combined with the large partisan crowd expected at Claude Robillard Sports Complex should favor Montreal.
Advantage: Montreal
Prediction:
I think Montreal has been the most consistent team in the A-League this year and I predict them to win the A-League Championship. However, if Seattle can get an early goal or if they can make the game more of an offensive shootout, then they could sneak an upset.
Mike Anhaeuser is the new head coach of the Charleston Battery; he was a key member of the Battery coaching staff that won the 2003 A-League Championship. The thoughts and opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do represent the views of USL or USLsoccer.com.
