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Montreal Impact defender Ciman wants a little payback with NYCFC in town

Montreal Impact new player Laurent Ciman, right, from Belgium, speaks to the media as head coach Frank Klopas looks on at the team's training camp in Montreal on January 27, 2015. Impact defender Laurent Ciman wants a little payback. Three weeks ago, Ciman and the Impact were thumped 3-1 by New York City FC on the road. Montreal will get another crack at the expansion side Saturday at Saputo Stadium. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

MONTREAL - Impact defender Laurent Ciman wants a little payback.

Three weeks ago, Ciman and the Impact were thumped 3-1 by New York City FC on the road. Montreal will get another crack at the expansion side Saturday at Saputo Stadium.

"We need to get some revenge," Ciman said Friday before a training session. "We lost on the road, now we need to answer at home. I have a bit of a vengeful spirit. I'm a winner by nature and I don't like to lose. I want to prove that we're a better team than them.

"I will do everything to win tomorrow (Saturday)."

On June 13 at Yankee Stadium, the Impact were outclassed — especially in the first half — by a dominant New York squad. Spanish striker David Villa finished off a well-orchestrated team buildup to open the scoring in the 31st minute. Mix Diskerud and Kwadwo Poku added goals for NYCFC in the second half.

New York also outshot Montreal 9-3.

"That game was one of our worst performances on the year," said midfielder Calum Mallace. "It was a tough place to play in on a small field. We want to put that game behind us, but we also have to take notes because we do play them again tomorrow (Saturday).

"We're ready to bring it to this team and show them what we really have."

Villa, 33, leads his team with six goals. The former Valencia and Barcelona striker also leads the club in game-winning goals, shots and assists. Villa's 30 shots on target is tied for second-best in the league.

Against Montreal in June, Villa directed seven shots towards goalkeeper Evan Bush and beat him once.

"He's an unbelievably talented player," Mallace said. "We're going to definitely try to shut him down. He's obviously a key to their success. The better we manage him, the better the outcome for us. We're going to be tight on him."

The teams are separated by just one point in the MLS standings. New York (4-8-5) is in ninth place in the Eastern Conference while Montreal (5-6-3) sits in eighth.

A win would extend Montreal's home winning streak to five games, their longest such streak since August 2012. The Impact's last defeat at Saputo Stadium was 2-1 versus the Portland Timbers on May 9.

Since then, Montreal has outscored its opponents 10-3 at home.

That bodes well for Frank Klopas's side, as six of Montreal's next eight MLS matches will be played in front of their home fans. Montreal is three points from a playoff spot in the East with games in hand on all of its opponents.

New York is coming off a 3-1 defeat to the crosstown rival Red Bulls, which ended a three-game win streak.

"I know it's an expansion team, but it's a team that has quality players that know the league very well," Klopas said of NYCFC. "In the midfield, we have to make it difficult for some of their players to find their rhythm. We have to play with energy and play our game."

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Notes: Montreal will be without captain Patrice Bernier, who was ejected in the Impact's last game — a 2-2 draw in Philadelphia. … Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has begun training with the New York side. He will be available to play next week. … French defender Wandrille Lefevre became a Canadian citizen on Thursday. … New York's Diskerud and Montreal's Maxim Tissot are on international duty and will miss Saturday's clash.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2015
The Canadian Press

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