MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact announced on Saturday the signing of American goalkeeper Bill Gaudette for the 2011 season. Gaudette, a 29-year-old American originally from Pennsylvania, wore the colours of the Puerto Rico Islanders over the last three seasons. In 2010, he took the Islanders to its first ever playoff championship, defeating the Carolina RailHawks in the final.
“We wanted a top level goalkeeper that had experience in our league and is capable of filling the void left by the retirement of Matt Jordan,” said sporting director Nick De Santis. “He did really well for the Islanders, taking them all the way to the championship. At 29, he is a player with personality, leadership and the potential to continue improving his game. We hope he will carry on the tradition we have here of great goalkeeping.”
In 2008, his first season with the Islanders, he helped Puerto Rico win the regular season championship and was named the league’s goalkeeper of the year.
Gaudette also led the Islanders to the semi-final round of the CONCACAF Champions League tournament in 2009.
He was a first round selection (9th overall) by the Columbus Crew in the 2005 Major League Soccer (MLS) draft, playing 17 games with the Crew during the 2006 and 2007 campaigns.
Before going pro, Gaudette played at the university level for St. John’s, where he amassed a 43-13-12 record. Over that same period, he donned the jersey of the Brooklyn Knights of the Premier Development League (PDL).
Gaudette, who is now the 19th player under contract with the Impact for the 2011 season in the NASL, will travel with the team to Phoenix, Arizona.
Tickets for the 2011 season are now on sale and can be purchased by visiting impactmontreal.com or by contacting the club’s ticket office at 514-328-3668. All season ticket holders for the 2011 season will have the first right of refusal on their seats for the team’s inaugural Major League Soccer (MLS) season in 2012.
