Montreal Impact Name Patrice Bernier Captain

The Montreal Impact named midfielder Patrice Bernier the seventh captain in team history today.

When Davy Arnaud was sent to D.C. United, Bernier was expected to be the front runner to replace him because when you have a local player who happens to be one of the most well known veterans in the locker room and can address the media in both languages, it’s pretty much a no brainer.

“It is with honour and pride that I wear the captain’s armband for the Montreal Impact,” said Bernier. “At this stage of my career, having grown up here, this will be a very special experience for me and a new challenge that I am ready to take on. It’s also nice to be recognized by the coaching staff for my leadership and what I bring to the team. It is now up to me to maintain the standard that was set by Davy Arnaud.”

“Patrice is highly respected by his teammates and everyone in this organization,” said Impact head coach Frank Klopas. “He knows the club and the city, having started his soccer career in Montreal. He understands what it means to wear the Impact jersey. I think he can lead the team on the field and that he will be a great captain for our group.”

Bernier was named the team’s most valuable player in 2012 and was an Major League Soccer all-star in 2013. The 34 year old has 13 goals and 16 assists in 58 career regular season games.

Bernier is the fourth of the seven Impact captains to be from Quebec and the first since Mauro Biello who was the team’s captain from 2002-2009. Other local captains are Marco Rizi (1993) and current technical director Nick De Santis (1995-2001)

Marco Di Vaio, Matteo Ferrari and Troy Perkins will be the team’s assistant captains.