Montreal Impact Head Coach Marc Dos Santos Resigns

The Montreal Impact have announced this morning that head coach Marc Dos Santos has resigned. Sporting Director Nick De Santis will take over on an interim basis.

The Montreal Impact have announced this morning that head coach Marc Dos Santos has resigned. Sporting Director Nick De Santis will take over on an interim basis.

The Montreal Impact have played 12 league games and have a record of 2 wins, 3 draws and 7 losses and have been the shock of the league this season. Dos Santos joined the team on May 14, 2009 and leaves with a regular-season record of 26-16-25.

Dos Santos told IMS in February when the team was in Casa Grande, Arizona for preseason, that the Impact staff had brought in what they believed to be quality players that would have the chance of making the step up to MLS when the team makes the transition in 2012. But the team has struggled in almost every aspect of their game.

It has been rumored in Canada that Dos Santos, who is a Montreal, Quebec native, was under a tremendous amount of pressure from team owner Joey Saputo and it was believed if he didn’t get a result in the June 18th home game against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers he would be released. The Impact tied that game and earned a point.

This past weekend the Impact traveled to Edmonton. The Eddies had lost to the Impact in the two prior matchups this season. But expansion club FC Edmonton, who have been playing extremely well in their first season, defeated the Impact 1-0.

“I’ve accepted Marc’s resignation, because the team is having a difficult and unacceptable sequence,” said club president and owner Joey Saputo. “This is too important of a year to let it go like this. From the start of the season, I said it was important to finish our journey in second division on a positive note in order to start MLS on a high. Our goal today hasn’t changed, we want to make the playoffs and get as far as possible.”

“The technical staff in place will be led by Nick De Santis,” added Joey Saputo. “Following Marc’s departure and after analyzing our current situation as a club, this is our best short-term option. Additionally, being with the team everyday, Nick will get the chance to evaluate the group. I am confident that our coaches will straighten up the situation. I want to thank Marc for his services over the last five years with the club. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

De Santis was suspended for the first six NASL league matches this season after an incident last fall. The Impact sporting director lost his temper in a controversial playoff win for the RailHawks in Cary, NC., and chased after the referee crew after the game. He was also fined $1,500 for his actions. The USSF investigated the incident and deemed De Santis responsible for instigating the incident which resulted in 3 other Impact players being fined and/or suspended. The Impact organization was also fined by the league $5,000 for failure to control its players and Technical Director.

De Santis coached the Impact from 2004 through the beginning of 2008 when he was relieved of his duties after a poor start to the season. The team won the USL Commissioners Cup in 2005 and 2006 while De Santis was coach. He has a 69-30-29 record with the club.