ERST LESEN! » aige and Berry. The Tar Heels need him out there

MONTREAL -- The new guys in Major League Soccer didnt take much time to get to the top. Halfway through their second season in the league, the Montreal Impact lead the Eastern Conference with a league-best 9-4-4 record. And although they have played fewer games than most clubs, their 31 goals also lead the 19-team league. "You see a team that knows how to get points in this league," fullback Jeb Brovsky said Monday. "Last year, we gave up a few goals. "The mental focus is what it takes. Weve learned what it takes to win." As an expansion team in 2012, Montreal went 5-9-3 through the first 17 games of the 34-game regular season. They ended up 12-16-6 for 42 points to finish out of the playoffs in seventh place in the East. This year, they already have 31 points -- a 13-point improvement from the halfway mark last year. They have done it with most of the same players they had by the end of the 2012 campaign, but with new coach Marco Schallibaum replacing MLS rookie Jesse Marsch. It seems the former Swiss international and veteran coach was just what a team led by older Italian stars needed to take the next step. Even if the fiery Schallibaum has already served three one-game suspensions. "I see the team is motivated on the field and is progressing, its all very positive," said Schallibaum. So far, the 2013 campaign has been all about winning. It started in the pre-season when they won the Disney Soccer Classic tournament in Orlando, Fla. While running off victories in regular season play, they also won the Voyageurs Cup by beating Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Amway Canadian Championship. The challenge will be to keep that pace up through the second half with opponents tightening defences to shut down league-leading scorer Marco Di Vaio, who has 11 goals. Also, the Impact are playing four additional games thanks to their qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League. The team ended the first half in a mini-slump that saw them blow a lead to lose 4-3 at home to Colorado, then eke out ties with Toronto and Chivas USA, two of the leagues lowest ranked clubs. The question is whether it is a temporary slide or a sign they have already peaked. "Theres certainly been some wake-up calls and reality checks," said goalkeeper Troy Perkins. "Thats to be expected. "Were into July, halfway through the season. Its always like this. Good things will happen to the teams that can grind it out and stay the course. We look back and we have to understand we are a good team. In the first half, weve done great things. We should be able to do it again." The season started with surprise wins in Seattle and Portland, so they matched their total of away victories in 2012 in the opening two games. The Impact were winners through most of their 18 seasons in lower leagues before they joined MLS, so it is not a total surprise they were able to assemble a competitive squad in short order. Most of the current team were brought together in their expansion year, including striker Di Vaio and AC Milan great Alessandro Nesta. Both will be 37 by the end of July. There is a strong Italian accent with Nestas central defence partner Matteo Ferrari and two newcomers, Di Vaios former Bologna teammates Daniele Paponi and Andrea Pisanu. But raised in Europe where soccer is a winter game, they will be tested in the summer heat. "Certainly for the guys from Italy, this is a new thing for them," said Perkins. "Theyre in a for a rude awakening. "When we play some teams from the south, its going to be hot. You have to be willing to suffer through the pain to get the result." Fullbacks Brovsky and Hassoun Camara and midfielders Patrice Bernier, Felipe Martins, Davy Arnaud, Justin Mapp, Sanna Nyassi and Collen Warner all started last season in Montreal and remain key figures on the squad. Perkins was acquired late last season and has been an improvement in goal over the unhappy Donovan Ricketts. Under Schallibaum, the 33-year-old Bernier has thrived despite being moved to a more defensive position, and Mapp, a frequent target of fans invective last season, was a standout until sidelined by a recent injury (hes expected back for a game Saturday in New York). Warner and Nyassi have seen their minutes drop from last season, but have played well mainly as substitutes. The extra depth on the roster, including rookie midfielder Blake Smith and sophomore striker Andrew Wenger, has helped overcome some injuries. "Overall, were extremely happy with where we are," said sporting director Nick De Santis. "We know its going to be very hard to stay in first pace. "The objective from Day One was the make the playoffs. And, of course, its important if we can continue getting points and stay up there as well." With the international transfer window opening this week, De Santis said he would look for another "creative" offensive player and some long-term help on defence. Nesta is not expected back next season, and central defender Nelson Rivas missed most of last season and has yet to play in 2013. De Santis wants him on the field soon, if only to test his ailing knees.Jessie Bates III Jersey . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Ryan Finley Youth Jersey . 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Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1.CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina wont have a difficult time finding motivation this season.The memories of losing in the NCAA championship game on a last-second 3-pointer to Villanova still sting more than six months later. It was the crushing final play in a 33-win season that saw the Tar Heels go from a preseason No. 1-ranked team questioned about its toughness to a group that matured enough to sweep the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season and tournament titles before reaching the Final Four.There are enough veteran returnees for UNC to have the potential to do it again, driven by the memory of coming so oh-so-close to cutting down the nets in April.Every time I turn around and look up at the banners, where the national championship banners are, junior Joel Berry II said, sometimes it hurts me that we dont have the 2016 national championship up there. So its just motivation to me.Some Tar Heels, including Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams, still havent watched film from the loss.I thought we had a great, great year but its just like somebody pulls your heart out and taunts you by shaking it in front of you, Williams said. But youve got to get over it.The Tar Heels (33-7, 14-4 ACC) have some big holes with the losses of four-year starter Marcus Paige -- the guy UNC looked for when it needed a big shot -- and Associated Press all-American Brice Johnson inside. But they return six of their top eight scorers while adding a top-10 recruiting class.Berry is the top returning scorer (12.8 points), while fellow junior Justin Jackson (12.2) and senior big man Kennedy Meeks are returning starters. The Tar Heels also return ACC sixth man of the Isaiah Hicks, now likely to earn a promotion into the starting lineup.On the bench, senior Nate Britt provides backcourt depth along with junior Theo Pinson -- out indefinitely with a broken bone in his right foot -- and sophomore wing Kenny Williams III.The Tar Heels also will get help up front from McDonalds All-American Tony Bradley Jr., who headlines a wing-heavy recruiting class.---Some other things to know about the Tar Heels thiss season:PINSONS INJURY: Pinsons injury during a recent practice, announced Friday, has the potential to be a big blow.dddddddddddd The versatile swingman is the teams top defender, a good passer and a leader with a knack for keeping up team morale .BERRY IN CHARGE?: Berry looks like the top candidate to take Paiges role as the guy to entrust with taking the big shot. He was the teams best outside shooter (38 percent from 3-point range) and led the team in assists, steals and free-throw percentage. And in a sign that Berry could be ready for a leap, he upped his game by averaging 13.7 points and shooting 50 percent in six NCAA Tournament games -- ending with 20 points against Villanova.HICKS FOUL TROUBLE: Keeping Hicks on the floor last season was a challenge, including twice in the final 10 games when he picked up four or five fouls in fewer than 10 minutes. The 6-foot-9 forward brings scoring and rebounding, and he was the teams defensive player of the game eight times -- third most on the team behind Paige and Berry. The Tar Heels need him out there this year with fewer frontcourt options.JACKSONS GROWTH: Jackson has good size on the perimeter and has been a complimentary scorer through his first two seasons. The Tar Heels need him to become a consistent scorer now in a leading role, especially when it comes to improving his 29-percent shooting from behind the arc last year. Hes an unselfish player and has occasionally seemed content to blend into the background, but the Tar Heels are tougher to stop when hes playing assertively .THE ROOKIES: The 6-foot-10 Bradley, a native of Bartow, Florida, will have a shot at immediate minutes for a team with only Meeks and Hicks returning to the frontcourt. The rest of that recruiting class brings depth on the wing with Brandon Robinson, Seventh Woods and Shea Rush.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap and the APs college basketball site at http://collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '