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It was broad smiles all around from head coach Frank Klopas and Sporting Director Nick de Santis as the Impact put on their brave and cheery faces at training yesterday. Deion Sanders Jersey . Hard to imagine this is a club who are firmly entrenched at the bottom of the Eastern Conference as results this season mirror the tailspin the Impact suffered throughout the later stages of the 2013 season. Last Saturdays Kansas City shambles offered very few shreds of comfort or optimism for a club who have only claimed a solitary victory over the course of their last 15 regular season matches. Coincidentally, that win – secured in the final home match of the 2013 season – came against the Philadelphia Union who will be the opponent for the Impacts Saputo Stadium home opener Saturday afternoon. Going into this season there was no expectation the Impact would start in the same forthright manner they did in 2013, where they had already accumulated 16 points and by a distance were the form team of the Eastern Conference through seven games. By the same token nobody in the organization would have thought the club would still be in search of its first win on the back of the worst start of the season in club history. By a quirk of fate Klopas old flame, the Chicago Fire, are the only other winless team in the conference. Any thought Klopas would suffer a similar fate of so many Impact coaches before were completely dismissed out of hand by De Santis yesterday, as he offered full and unequivocal support for his besieged head coach. De Santis could not have appeared more genuine as he addressed the media first in French and then reinforced the same message when switching to English as he expressed complete confidence in his coaching staff. “Its frustrating, its disappointing but we do need to stay patient,” De Santis said of the Imapcts start. The opening goal conceded against the reigning MLS Cup champions was a Callum Mallace attempt at a headed clearance that found nothing but the roof of the Impact net. It typifies the run of ill fortune the Impact has experienced so far this season. One that by this stage drains, and erodes confidence levels allowing for the doubts to set in. This was evident during the second half in Kansas where as a team they completely lacked conviction and confidence. After Marco Di Vaio was forced off injured in minute 55, many players became mere shadows of themselves as they conceded three soft goals. After the match Impact captain Patrice Bernier could offer little explanation of why the team had performed so poorly though the second half. If the Impact is to salvage their season this has to represent rock bottom. Playing at Saputo Stadium for a first time this season offers up the perfect tonic. Training yesterday took place at the clubs training pitch adjacent to the stadium and was conducted under glorious blue skies, which is in stark contrast to training and playing at a dreary appearing Olympic Stadium. A spring was in everyones steps, a certain buoyancy in the air. Di Vaio – who will be the first to admit that his form this season is far from where he would like it to be, or where the club needs it to be – seems likely to overcome the slight hamstring strain and should be available Saturday. Someone who likely again wont feature is Argentine DP Hernan Bernardello. Yesterday De Santis spoke of the midfielders fellow countryman Igniacio Piatti, who currently plays for San Lorenzo. The Impacts Sporting Director admitted the club was very much hoping to bring him in during the upcoming transfer window. Dont expect summer shopping to be limited to merely adding a third and final DP. This is a club who throughout its 20-plus-year history doesnt shy away from making the investments where needed. Bolstering the lineup and adding greater depth will certainly enhance the Impacts chances in the second half of the season. For now, though, its about getting the optimum performances from all the players at their disposal. This is something Klopas admitted earlier in the week was keeping him awake at night. In the lead up to Saturdays game much has been made in both Montreal and Philadelphia about Andrew Wengers return to Saputo Stadium. Wenger even got in on the act himself in the week when he spoke of his time in Montreal and learning much from Marco. Referring to Di Vaio, this was clearly a backhanded slap in the direction of Marco Schallibaum. As the team were putting in some of their final preparations for Saturday afternoons encounter, the finishing touches were been applied to Saputo Stadium. The pitch looks in perfect shape. The last time the club took to that pitch was last Oct. 19 in what was a must-win game for the Impact – who had gone into the game on the back of a six-game winless skid. Philly took the early lead before Di Vaio notched his 20th goal of the season and Karl Ouimette scored the late winner. The opponent will be the same Saturday afternoon, and the club fully need a similar result. Or as De Santis put it yesterday: “We are a win away from relieving the pressure on everyone.” You can reach and follow Noel Butler at: Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter Listen to Montreal Impact vs. Philadelphia Union live on TSN690 Montreal [TSN690.ca] Saturday at 4pm et. Rick Moffat [@RickMoffat] and Grant Needham [@GrantNeedham] have the call. Deebo Samuel Jersey . Jeff Green and Jordan Crawford each scored 19 points, Bass added 15 points and had a game-saving block in the closing seconds Saturday, and the Celtics held on for a 103-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Charles Haley Jersey . – Kyle Wood and Barclay Goodrow scored second period power-play goals to provide all of the scoring for the North Bay Battalion in a 2-0 victory over the Erie Otters in Ontario Hockey League action on Thursday.CALGARY – Bo Levi Mitchell will be looking for his CFL record eighth straight victory to start his career when he leads the Calgary Stampeders against the B.C. Lions.  Mitchell is currently tied with former Stampeders quarterback Jeff Garcia as his team looks to go 5-0 for the first time since 1995.  You can catch the action live on TSN at 10pm et/7pm pt. The Stampeders take pride in their culture of „plug-in-and-play“. When injury forces a player from the lineup, the replacement is expected to excel and help the team win. And with Calgarys star running back Jon Cornish and backup tailback Matt Walter out with concussion symptoms, it appears former CFL rookie of the year Martell Mallett will play in his first football game since 2009. The 28-year-old from Pine Bluff, Ark., rushed for 1,240 yards for the Lions in 2009, including a 136-yard performance in a game against the Stampeders, to earn that rookie award. Mallett then headed to the NFL where he got looks on practice rosters in Philadelphia, Cleveland and New York, but no games. The six-foot, 208-pound running back returned to Canada in 2012 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. A torn Achilles tendon suffered in training camp wiped out the season and the Tiger-Cats released him prior to training camp the following year. Signed as a free agent in January, Mallett came off Calgarys practise roster this week for some first-team reps. The Stampeders picked up running back Hugh Charles as insurance Monday following his release from the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Mallett has been with the Stampeders since training camp and is more familiar with Calgarys offensive schemes. „I look at it as a blessing,“ Mallett said Tuesday. „Its been a while since I played football. Ive been here, learning the playbook, learning the system and it just came down to my time to go. Thats why Im here, for depth.“ Cornish, the CFLs most valuable player last season and rushing leader the past two, went on the six-game injured list last week still suffering the effects of getting knocked out in the season opener. In his absence, regular returner Jock Sanders led Calgary in rushing yards with 86 on 16 carries in last Thursdays 26-22 win over Edmonton. Walters left that game in the first quarter. Mallett has a degree in agriculture business from Arkansas-Pine Bluff. His post-football ambition is to work for U. Y. A. Tittle Jersey. . Fish and Wildlife as a special agent chasing down poachers. „I grew up in a country town. I love hunting and I love fishing, but I hate it when people break the rules,“ he said. Malletts brother Michael was shot and killed in their home town in 2012 while Mallett was recovering from his Achilles surgery. Michael is one reason Mallett isnt done with football and moving onto to his next career. „If my brother was here, he would want me to continue to play football,“ Mallett said. „With that in consideration and my youth, I just feel like I can do it. I have a lot of miles left on me. I havent played a whole lot.“ The Stampeders went 14-4 in 2013 with a three-man rotation at starting quarterback and receivers constantly in and out of the lineup. „Thats been in our biggest thing the last couple of years. Guys plug in and play,“ defensive back Keon Raymond said. „Weve probably been one of the most injury-prone teams over the last couple years Ive been here, but we havent missed a beat. One of Calgarys three starting quarterbacks last season returns to McMahon Stadium on Friday in a Lions uniform. Kevin Glenn went 10-3 for the Stampeders before he was taken in the expansion draft by the Ottawa Redblacks and subsequently traded to the Lions. Charles has taken reps and worked with the return team in two practices since his arrival in Calgary. Hes been cut this season by both the Roughriders and the Edmonton Eskimos, for whom hes played a combined 55 career games. The Eskimos released him from training camp. The 28-year-old from Tulsa, Okla., compiled 86 yards on 13 carries in his one game July 12 for Saskatchewan, but a fumble that led to a Lions field goal likely cost him his job there. „That was the majority of it. I was there to prove a point and I just didnt get it done,“ Charles said. „They put me in that spot for a reason and I didnt come through and they pulled the plug. „Its nice to be wanted. Its been a roller-coast this year and a trying year for sure. We all go through it as a pro athlete and in this business. Im old enough to not take anything personal and to know the deal and the situation when things go down. „My whole career has been about proving and myself. Its nothing new.“ ‚ ‚ ‚