He arrived to great fanfare at Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport on a warm Sunday evening back in late May, 2012. He departs to league wide critical acclaim at Saputo Stadium Saturday afternoon. In his time in Montreal Marco Di Vaio has mesmerised opponents, mentored the homegrown talent which the Impact Academy has harvested, whilst all along nurturing and nourishing the club’s Major League Soccer roots as he went. Instilling fear and admiration with opponents in equal measures Di Vaio defines what MLS set out to do when introducing 2007’s Beckham Rule. Simply put Di Vaio is the quintessential Designated Player. The mutual adulation with the club’s supporters is a wonder to hold. As were so many of the goals the natural born predator potted for the cause. Through wind, rain, or sleet, Di Vaio so often lit up the darkest of night time Stade Saputo skies. Fiercely competitive on the pitch, charismatic beyond belief off it. He will be celebrated forever more. Since the Impact set out on the search for MLS game-changer when first awarded the franchise in spring 2010 - the likes of Nicolas Anelka, David Trezeguet, Michael Ballack, even Alessandro Del Piero were all passed over in favour of a 35-year old native Roman. Club President Joey Saputo could not have wished for more. His patience and perseverance surely tested through a two year process which would finely pay off following his and Nick De Santis’ encounter with Di Vaio on a snowy Bolgona day back in early February, 2012. Di Vaio, though, previously disclosed to TSN.ca he was not immediately Montreal and MLS smitten during lead up phone calls ahead of that meeting. I met Joey and Nick in Italy when I was playing with Bologna before that I spoke with them two or three times but I was not convinced to go and play in MLS, he said. After I met with Joey and Nick I [made] the decision to come. I understood them as two very good guys, They convinced me when I met them in Italy. We spoke about the life, the kids everything and afterwards I made the decision to come. Arriving at the mid-point of the 2012 season Di Vaio struggled. Psychologically and physiologically scarred from a gruelling relegation battle with Bologna, Di Vaio was unable to replicate his goal scoring form that in large part secured Serie A survival for Bologna as a member of the Impact. Through 17 appearances he only managed to score five goals. Di Vaio took it personally. Lessons learned he arrived into town well ahead of the opening of 2013’s training camp. Di Vaio felt he owed Joey Saputo, the club and supporters for his meagre output and disjointed performances of 2012. Rightfully amongst the MVP candidates on the back of a rare MLS milestone of a 20-goal season, an MLS All-Star appearance and a first playoff position for the Impact heralded quite the repayment. All that came crashing down, though, in the Houston horror that unfolded in that solitary playoff match, which ultimately concluded for Di Vaio a few minutes before the final whistle. A completely out-of-character verbal and physical encounter with several Houston players rightfully led to Di Vaio’s dismissal. Matters of the heart had disrupted Di Vaio during summer 2013 leading to a July return home to tend to family matters. For an extended period there was a deepening uncertainty one of the leading scorers in modern Serie A history would return for his option year. It was only late in the season that all the anxious uncertainty evaporated with the club announcing last October that Di Vaio would indeed grace MLS pitches through 2014. Suspended for the first three games, Di Vaio marked his return with the equalizer down in the city of brotherly love. The club however didn’t ever recover from a winless seven-match start to the campaign. Klopas was always up against it to affect an immediate return to the playoffs. The spiral in league form which sees the Impact finishing as Eastern Conference cellar-dwellers this season was more than made up for in the season’s two other competitions. We saw the Impact retain the Voyageurs Cup and - courtesy of Di Vaio’s goals and inspired form - a return next February to the knock out stages on the CONCACAF Champions League. Although no medals will have been awarded for last Saturday’s gutsy performance and draw in Toronto - which led to the Impact’s nearest and not-so-dearest missing the playoffs for an eighth straight season certainly adds to the 2014 folklore, as does the arrival of Ignattio Piatti whose performances since his August arrival have rejuvenated Di Vaio. In doing so ensured the Impact legend in waiting bows out. In his penultimate performance at Saputo Stadium the crowd were treated to a Di Vaio brace which would have graced any league on planet futbol. What Saturday afternoon holds when Davy Arnaud’s Eastern Conference champions D.C. United pay a visit is not certain. What is certain is there will be very few dry eyes at the final whistle as Di Vaio bows out from a very distinguished playing career. Surrounded by family and childhood friend Alessandro Nesta it will be a very emotional Di Vaio who would likely be willing to shake hands with every single spectator gathered but will likely opt for the microphone and PA system to bid his fond farewells. Au Revoir. Grazie, Marco. Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel Di Vaio’s farewell - Montreal Impact vs. DC United can be heard live on TSN Radio Montreal 690 at 4pm et/1pm pt. Magic Johnson Lakers Jersey . Trailing 5-4 in the third set, the 12th-ranked Isner fought off two match points and evened it at 5-5 with consecutive aces. 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In many ways, it seemed like hed never been gone.The Toronto Raptors are brimming with confidence thanks to the best start in club history. The Phoenix Suns are also feeling good about themselves as they look to wrap up a long trip on a winning note. One of these high-scoring teams will have its four-game win streak snapped Monday night in this matchup of franchises on the rise. You can catch all of the action tonight at 7pm et/4pm et on TSN2. Two seasons ago, both these clubs finished in last place in their respective divisions. Now Toronto (11-2) is atop the Eastern Conference while Phoenix (9-5) is playing well in the highly competitive West. The Raptors made a statement by rallying from 18 down to win 110-93 at Cleveland on Saturday. They went to the foul line 42 times and are averaging an East-leading 30.0 attempts per game. Coach Dwane Casey is doing his best to make sure his players stay grounded. One day youre the statue, the next day youre the pigeon, he said. I havent heard one person in our locker room talk about where we are in the standings. Phoenix seeks its first five-game road win streak since Feb. 7-28, 2011. The Suns are 4-1 on this six-game trip after winning 122-96 over Philadelphia on Friday and 106-83 over Indiana the next night. Were getting a little bit of a rhythm, coach Jeff Hornacek said. Its something about being on the road. These guys have come together and everybody is contributing. The Raptors are averaging an East-leading 106.9 points and the Suns are not far beehind at 105.dddddddddddd3. Toronto has five players averaging at least 10 points and Phoenix has six, with its bench averaging a league-best 46.5 points. Both teams got big lifts from a reserve in their Saturday wins. Gerald Green scored a game-high 23, raising his average to 14.2 to rank among the leader leaders among reserves. Just because you win four games in a row doesnt mean youre guaranteed to make the playoffs so were just trying to use this to build on, Green said. Not far behind him among the NBAs top bench players is Lou Williams, averaging 13.4 points. Williams scored a career-high 36 against the Cavaliers, also marking the most points by a reserve on any team this season. Just playing with confidence, making shots early on, Williams said. I think my teammates did a great job once they saw that I had the hot hand, they kept coming to me, just created a spark off the bench. The Raptors, who are 3-0 against West foes, are tied for the NBAs second-best home record at 8-1. I cant say enough about our fans, we have the best in the league, Casey said. Our guys know it, you can feel it. Phoenix has won 12 of its last 13 road games against East opponents, including all four contests this season. The Suns have captured eight of their last nine visits to Toronto. 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