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Thierry Henry holds first practice as coach of Montreal Impact

Jan 14, 2020 | 12:30 PM

MONTREAL — Thierry Henry was happy with what he saw in his first practice as head coach of the Montreal Impact today.

The MLS club made international headlines when it hired the former French international star as its new coach in November.

The Impact are training in Montreal for two days before heading to Orlando to continue camp in Florida.

Henry has 28 players on the camp roster His first match as coach will be Feb. 19 when the Impact travel to Costa Rica for the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions League round-of-16 series against Deportivo Saprissa.

The Impact have missed the MLS playoffs the past three years.

“After an hour of training, very good so far,” Henry said. “Application was good and the guys trained with the right intensity.

“We need to be careful about that because they haven’t done anything for a very long time. But I’m happy with the first day.”

Henry said the club is contemplating roster moves.

“This team hasn’t made the playoffs in three years. That’s no accident. We have to work on that.

“We’re working behind the scenes to see if we can add some reinforcements. But as a coach, I need to work with the players I have. It’s all about working hard, a good structure and a good philosophy.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2020.

The Canadian Press