The signing of Davy Arnaud is a major coup

While plenty will happen between now and the time Montreal Impact first take to the field for an MLS match, the signings made in last week’s Expansion Draft (and the trades which have followed) should give Jesse Marsch’s team confidence ahead of their debut campaign in the competition.

Unlike previous expansion sides Vancouver and Portland, Montreal had the advantage of having a full crop of unprotected players to choose from in the draft without the fear that another new entrant might usurp some of the club’s plans.

Few of the additions made onlookers ask too many questions, although the recruitment of three left-backs initially raised some eyebrows (more on that later), but some of the new team-mates added to marquee signing Nelson Rivas stand out more than others.

Ignoring Brian Ching, whose future at the club (and indeed in professional soccer) remains somewhat in doubt after he threatened to retire if selected by Montreal, here are five of the players who can make a big difference as Marsch’s side look to become the first team since Seattle in 2009 to mark their debut season with playoff qualification.

ZAREK VALENTIN

Part of the all-conquering Akron Zips college outfit which also included Portland Timbers starlet Darlington Nagbe and DC United defenders Chris Korb and Perry Kitchen, Valentin was somewhat surprisingly left unprotected by Chivas USA after an impressive rookie season.

The 20-year-old made 25 appearances, the bulk of them at right-back, and coach Robin Fraser was optimistic to say the least in thinking he could survive the draft with Valentin’s registration intact. Seemingly seeing the error of his ways Fraser was quick to recruit another Impact signing, James Riley, within hours of the Canadian club completing their selections.

SANNA NYASSI

Gambian international Nyassi will hope he can settle down after his third trade in two years. Despite a strong 2010 campaign with Seattle he was left unprotected and snapped up by Vancouver but immediately sent on his way to Colorado. Somewhat surprisingly it took the flying winger several months to open his goalscoring account for the Rapids, but he did so in style with a hat-trick in July’s 4-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls.

Unplayable when on form, he does have a tendency to go missing but is worth having in the squad for the moments of genius which fans will be hoping to see a lot more of in 2012.

JUSTIN MAPP

One of those players who impresses more the closer you look at his game, Mapp was one of the unsung heroes of Philadelphia’s first ever run to the playoffs. He may not be the paciest player in the league, but always seems to be in plenty of space when he receives the ball, and almost always knows what to do when he gets it.

A level-headed player to boot, the 27-year-old brings a wealth of MLS experience which should prove crucial to the development of this young team, and his travails with another Expansion club in Pennsylvania will ensure he knows what to look out for when trying to bring the best out of a diverse and unfamiliar group of team mates.

JUSTIN BRAUN

Another player like Nyassi who can crop up with the occasional magnificent performance, another thing the former Chivas man has in common with his new team-mate is a 2011 hat-trick against New York. Braun’s came at the Red Bull Arena in May, and he followed it up with another treble in a 3-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo just two months later.

While 17 goals in two seasons should not be sniffed at, there is more to Braun’s game than mere firepower, and his strong hold-up play will give Marsch the option of playing him as a lone striker. What’s more, at 24 he is one for the future, yet recent campaigns demonstrate he has plenty to offer right now.

DAVY ARNAUD

The most recent addition to Marsch’s squad, Arnaud’s arrival as part of a trade which sent Seth Sinovic back to Kansas answers the question ‘why did Montreal sign three left-backs?’

Former Sporting Kansas City club captain Arnaud had spent his whole career with the club, starting more than 200 games and completing close to 20,000 minutes in a Sporting Kansas City (or until 2011 Kansas City Wizards) shirt. While he started fewer than half of the side’s games last season and failed to find the net in MLS action, he still has plenty to give and could easily emulate the form of another former Kansas City man at an expansion side, Portland’s Jack Jewsbury.