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"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 Yeezy Boost 350 Italia . The four-time Grand Slam champion has beaten Hantuchova nine straight times, with the Slovaks only win coming when they first played 10 years ago. "I had a tough first opponent who can play extremely good tennis," Sharapova said. Scarpe Nmd Italia . -- LeGarrette Blount made one last big splash into a soggy end zone. http://www.scarpenmdscontate.it/scarpe-nmd-uomo-outlet.html . He just didnt expect them to be this good. Darrun Hilliard scored 19 points to lead No. 6 Villanova to a dominating 77-59 victory over Georgetown on Saturday, preserving the Wildcats hopes of a No. Scarpe NMD R2 Italia .The Hanwha Eagles said the team was impressed with Morgans contact ability and base-running skills.The 34-year-old debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007 and hit . Adidas Nmd Sconti . When the Dallas Mavericks needed to stop a Golden State rally in the fourth quarter, they looked for defensive help from the rookie point guard playing in just his sixth game.PHILADELPHIA - What Kemba Walker started, Al Jefferson made sure to finish.Walker scored a season-high 30 points, Jefferson added 16 of his 20 in the second half, and the Charlotte Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak with a 109-91 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.I didnt start off well at all, Jefferson said. But Kemba led the way. I figured I had to be the one to end it.Tony Wroten and Robert Covington scored 19 apiece for the Sixers, who dropped to 0-14 at home this season. Theyre closing in on the NBA record for the most home losses to start a season, which is held by the 1993-94 Dallas Mavericks at 19.Philadelphia point guard Michael Carter-Williams had 14 points and 10 assists, but the Sixers committed 24 turnovers that led to 35 Charlotte pointsThey sniffed blood, 76ers coach Brett Brown said. They knew they wanted to come in here and get a win.The Hornets (7-19) had lost 14 of 16 coming into the game but dominated the rebuilding Sixers (2-23).Despite playing without starting guard Lance Stephenson, who missed his first game of the season because of a pelvic sprain, Charlotte jumped on the Sixers early, closing the first quarter on an 11-2 run to open an 11-point lead.Charlotte extended its lead to 17 midway through the second quarter before scoring the final nine points of the half to take a 66-46 advantage into the break.Walker made the final basket in both the first and second quarter, and finished 13 for 23 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range. He added five assists and four rebounds.When hes going, he leads us and we follow him, Jefferson said. Hes the leader of this team. Hes got a heart of a giant.Walker acknowledged he tried to attack the Philadelphia defence and play more aggressively — but not because Jefferson struggled in the first half or Stephenson was out.Thats me, just being aggressive, Walker said. Thats what got me this far. Thats my game — always being in attack mode.Paying more attention to Walker after the break, the Sixers cut the Hornets lead to 13 midway through the third quarter. But thats when Jefferson took over, scoring a few quick inside buckets to stop Philadelphia from gaining any momentum.Jefferson finished with 12 rebounds and Philadelphia-area native Gerald Henderson added 11 points for the Hornets, who shot 43.9 per cent from the field and 41.7 per cent from 3-point range.ddddddddddddCharlotte got 35 points from its bench, with Gary Neal leading the way with 10 and Marvin Williams scoring nine, including back-to-back 3s in the first quarter.Most teams are going to double me or send help, Jefferson said. My teammates have to make them pay. Thats what we have to do.The win was a much-needed one for the slumping Hornets, who have a quick turnaround as they return home to face Utah on Saturday.We just needed to win, period, Walker said. Im glad we came in here and executed. Hopefully we can carry this momentum into the future.The Sixers wont get another chance to snap their home losing streak until Jan. 5 when they welcome LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Before then, they have a seven-game road swing while Disney on Ice moves into the Wells Fargo Center.While theyre on the road, Brown knows the 76ers cant continue to fall way behind from the opening tip the way they did against Charlotte.I thought the start of the game influenced the rest of it, the Sixers coach said. They scored freely. Some of it, we give them credit. Some of it is on us. Thats a physical team — a mans team that played in the playoffs last year.___TIP-INSHornets: It was Charlottes second road victory this season. The Hornets only other win away from home came in Phoenix on Nov. 14. ... The Hornets shot 7 for 12 from 3-point range in the first half — the same totals as Philadelphia. They also shot 50 per cent from the field and 90 per cent from the free throw line before the break.76ers: Four days after making his Sixers debut, Turkish forward Furkan Aldemir was sidelined because of right foot plantar fasciitis. ... The Sixers got 40 points from their bench and had 10 different players log at least 10 minutes.MID-GAME TRADEDuring the game, the Sixers announced that they acquired Houstons 2015 second-round draft pick, Ronny Turiaf and the rights to Sergei Lishouk in exchange for guard Alexey Shved.Shved, averaging 9.9 points this season, was not in uniform or listed on the roster for Fridays game.Afterward, Brown said losing someone that was part of the rotation without much notice simply comes with the territory.Its a challenge, he said. But its all part of the plan to navigate the future. Thats just the way it is.UP NEXTThe Hornets host Utah on Saturday.The 76ers play at Orlando on Sunday. ' ' '