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If we could use some of that vanishing spray from Brazil 2014 to remove the 1999 A League Season which was spent in Raleigh, North Carolina as the Impact sat out an outdoor season - Saturday afternoons league match at home to arch rival Toronto FC will represent the first time in over two decades the Montreal Impact will take to a football pitch without Nick De Santis leading from the front. Who would have known that when he was signed by the club for its inaugural 1993 season, De Santis would go on to carve out for himself one of the most distinguished careers, on and off the pitch in North American soccer history. Ask yourself now, who else comes to mind? Exactly. Through his tenures as player, player/assistant coach, head coach, GM and Sporting Director - outside of an MLS Cup and CONCACAF Champions League title, De Santis has been a winner. Seen it all too. Many tag De Santis as the Face of the Organization. He was much more than that. De Santis is both the face and force of the Impact. Driven, possessing of an unbridled competitive spirit -- like very few others ever to take to the pitch in North America -- and with an overriding passion, will and determination to succeed, De Santis was loved by many and loathed by others. Even the Dalia Lama has his detractors. De Santis left an impression, not always favourable with whomever he came into contact with. Like a few others that come to mind across world football, De Santis could spark a furious debate in a phone booth. The man cared. Like no other I have seen in all my years, from those early, Impact incubating days sitting in the empty stands over at Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard right on through the clubs entire history. Relieved of his duties in midweek - a vast chasm and gap just like the abundance of pot holes and sink holes which define Montreal these days now exists over at Saputo Stadium. Everyone might be replaceable, as the old adage goes, but these are mighty big shoes to fill. Just as in 2006 when Mike Moretto left the club, it will take two people to fulfill the roles De Santis did. We got our first indication De Santis was on thinner ice during the clubs 2013 post-mortem last November when Joey Saputo announced that from now on, his Sporting Director and dear friend, would now solely focus on the senior team. As the winter turned to spring and now in the midst of deep summer with defeats forming like an iceberg, that thin ice De Santis was skating on slowly ebbed and flowed away. De Santis, as he has done throughout his entire career, went down fighting. From some ex-teammates and coaches through to certain sections of the supporter base and media, there will be those who will take a form of pleasure in his demise. Rivals and foes formed over two decades wont though. The very best definition I have of the Saputo/De Santis relationship comes from an old teammate who once described it to me in very simple terms. "Nick is Joeys confidence." Confidant, Counsel and Consciousness, not many football club owners are fortunate enough to have such a relationship and conduit. Saputo could always count on De Santis. Make no mistake; the De Santis DNA touched in some way, shape or form all aspects of the club on and off the pitch. These past few months could not have been easy for Saputo as he slowly realised De Santis time was up and the president had to face up to the inevitable. He had to let go of the man who he walked stride in stride with for nearly half of his entire life. Not only in the professional sense, but as crucially in the family, and personal sense as well. Anyone who has been fortunate, as I have over the years, to attend and witness the likes of pre-season team introduction events, post-season banquets through to the Saputo Stadium ground breaking ceremony and inaugural weekend, let alone the championship matches and other defining football moments, knows De Santis commands the love and respect of the extended Saputo family. Saputos apt choice of word Wednesday morning, "relieved when announcing De Santis had paid the price, likely also best describes how Saputo himself felt. The inner anguish, the personal and professional turmoil the Impacts president has suffered through these past few months especially, was finally at an end. De Santis time with the club though is not. Announced to become part of the clubs administration in as yet undefined role is only right and fitting. Two things immediately spring to mind. The first was in June 2008 when it was announced De Santis was let go as head coach but was appointed as GM - someone in the media questioned why he had been promoted. Saputo let it be known right there, De Santis would always be a part of the club. The other occasion was down on the pitch in October 2009 shortly after the Impact had clinched their third playoff title. Live on the radio I put it to De Santis – youve won it as a player, a coach and now as GM when will you win it as President? "Lets not talk about that, lets just enjoy this moment," was his deadpan response. A place in the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame awaits. As a club tribute, a statue of De Santis should grace Saputo Stadium. To be placed just outside the players entrance. After two decades of football service the local lad from east end St Michel might be gone from the pitch, but he will not ever be forgotten. Je me souviens. Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter Montreal Impact Vs Toronto FC live on TSN690 [TSN690.ca] Saturday. Kick Off 5:00pm – Brian Wilde [@BrianWilde] and Grant Needham [@GrantNeedham] with your call. Cheap Air Jordan Online . With their coach gone, they finally played offence the way he would have wanted. Amare Stoudemire made all seven shots in the first half, Anthony passed and shot well, and the Knicks shook off the surprising departure of their coach to rout the Portland Trail Blazers 121-79 on Wednesday night, snapping a six-game losing streak. Cheap Retro Jordan . - Tiger Woods only made it through 10 holes Thursday — this time because of the weather, not his back. https://www.wholesalejordanshoeschina.com/ . CEO Steve Koonin on Tuesday told the Hawks flagship radio station that he made the decision to discipline Ferry but allowed him to keep his job managing the team. He did not say what the punishment was, but noted that he relied on a law firms three-month investigation of Ferry and him describing Deng as someone who has a little African in him. Air Jordan 19 For Sale . The defending champions sent their preliminary list to FIFA on Tuesday, with coach Vicente del Bosque to announce the final 23-man squad on May 25. Costa is set to lead the attack in his native Brazil, with Atletico Madrid teammate David Villa and Chelseas Fernando Torres also included, while David de Gea replaces injured goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Cheap Jordan From China . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Miami Heat showed solidarity with the Los Angeles Clippers over the Donald Sterling controversy before Monday nights playoff game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Like the Clippers did on Sunday, the Heat ran out of the tunnel wearing their warmups, huddled at centre court and tossed their white shooting T-shirts to the ground. They then went through their pregame routinee with their red Heat warmup jerseys inside out, hiding the teams logo.dddddddddddd. It was a silent protest in response to Sterlings purported comments urging a woman to not bring black people to his teams games. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had both said in the locker room before the game they werent sure what they would do to show their support for the Clippers. ' ' '