On a night where a record crowd came out to support soccer in Montreal, the USL-1 Montreal Impact sent the more then 55,000 fans in attendance for their CONCACAF Champions League match vs. Santos Laguna happy.
Forward Eduardo Sebrango scored two goals to help lead the Impact to a 2-0 first-leg victory over Santos Laguna in their Champions League quarterfinal opener at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
The crowd in attendance, 55,571 to be exact, set a new mark for an Impact match, as well as a record for most fans to ever attend a CONCACAF Champions League match.
Here are some highlights from the match
What did you think of the performance? What impressed you more, the way Montreal played or the turnout for the match? Think MLS needs to reconsider and ask Montreal back to the MLS expansion table?
Share your thoughts below.
Oswaldo Sanchez + Northern Climate = 2:0
How the f*** did they get 50,000+ fans to go to the game? Red Bulls couldn’t get 50,000 fans for a CCL match if they gave the tickets away. I don’t get it.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE ASKING WHERE THE MONTREAL IMPACT PLAY!!!! Well they play in the brand new saputo Stadium, they don’t usually play in the olympic stadium! They played there last night because there’s snow outside!!!!
Props to Montreal from Chicago.
The MLS felletio going on in this thread is comical. TWO…count them…TWO USL sides are through to the quarterfinals…the only 2 that qualified for that matter. FOUR…count them…FOUR MLS sides entered and three went out in embarrasing fashion with the fourth to follow next week. Not simple eliminations, but five alarm FLAME OUTS.
As for the expansion fee…yeah, let’s refuse to drop the fee 10 – 20% in one of the most turbulent economic climates in history. Even if St. Louis, Portland are willing to pay the $40 million (they ain’t) why deny a market that will pack their stadium every night? Isn’t that the crown jewel of the excitement in Toronto and Seattle? Portland and/or St. Louis would not have drawn 15k last night, let alone 50k.
Montreal took the typical MLS favorite “oh, it was a midweek game in the preseason” excuse and gave it a big middle finger.
I smell Expansion
The Impact kept ticket prices down a bit, so that they could draw out the fans. See seating chart, taken from Out Of Touch:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fi3NgcLGLh8/SaQ1aTIoOtI/AAAAAAAAAXE/2A2bZq1ojys/s1600-h/stadeconcacaf.jpg
The difference between Montreal and MLS is that Montreal is taking this competition seriously. They are playing first string guys all the way through, and the fans are buying into it. Hell I’m thinking of making a 6 hour commute to go to the semis if they can hold off Santos in Mexico, and I’m a TFC fan.
There was a pretty good breakdown of that MLS attitude here:
http://24thminute.blogspot.com/2009/02/mls-international-attitude-problem.html
There has even been some talk lately of moving the TFC/Montreal qualifier to the Big O!
Montreal should be in MLS only if they pay the proper fee and expand their stadium properly.
The fee they were willing to play included stadium expansion, so they were being very cheap. I believe the actual fee portion of the payment would have been less than what Seattle or Philly paid.
The stadium expansion plans would have made the stadium the worst of the new ones in MLS, even worse than BMO Field, which is not exactly stellar.
How can MLS invite a financial partner whose stadium after being expanded wouldn’t even meet the minimum requirements for concessions/washrooms/private boxes/club seats etc.?
MLS doesn’t need to beg Montreal in, since Vancouver would be a very good replacement on the Canadian side… and one of the American applicants will be very good too.
People are missing the two biggest points about the attendance.
1) It was on a Wednesday Night!
2) It was 95% Impact supporters!
The obvious correlation is there:
Strong USL markets are strong MLS markets (Seattle will prove that this year).
Last night was not a referendum on MLS in Montreal.
MLS isn’t interested in specific cities, but deep-pocketed ownership groups.
It’s not that Montreal is that good, it’s the fact that “Dirty” Sanchez is in goal for Santos, he Loves to loss 2-0 🙂
But in all seriousness, if PR Islanders have a good showing tonight, I have to seriously question MLS and Houston’s performance in this tournament. I don’t care if it’s the pre-season, Houston should have been Atlante by at least 2 goals the other night. It’s embarrassing for MLS to not pull out good results at home. And you know MLS clubs struggle on the road. Guess we’ll see what happens next week.
How many of those in attendance were Hispanic? 🙂
What a great atmosphere and result for Montreal. Those kind of games are fun, even if the home side is not the quality of the team they beat. No away goals, AWESOME! Now, pack it in on the return leg!
Don’t lower the price.
bgnewf, I didn’t actually say Montreal is better then MLS but they have clearly outplayed MLS teams in this competition. If you really think MLS teams are playing at a higher level then USL-1, MLS teams need to prove it. They don’t have to beat TFC in direct competition they got through and thats all that matters. If TFC had built a better team that could kick a ball across a goal line they would have gotten into the Champions League.
Your comparison to the FA Cup is miss leading. This is not a 2nd tier competition the way the FA Cup. Santos played it best players last night and flat out lost. You are right to say that in any given game a team could win. But it begs the question why have MLS teams failed to win in qualifying round, the group stage, and this week? While USL-1 two teams have repeatly gotten through in the same competition.
I’m jealous. I would give anything for an MLS team in the US to have that kind of support on a CONCACAF CL night…
And foul on the 2nd goal?! What are you talking about?
Montreal should absolutely be in MLS.
Ives, stop with the Canada loving again. Nobody cares about Montreal
I wasn’t impressed with Montreal’s play. I found their passing to be terribly sloppy and they gave away possession alot. However, they play with discipline, physicality, and industry and with that alone can create chances which they converted.
Santos Laguna just didn’t seem into the game. Perhaps they took Montreal lightly cause they are a USL-1 team, or it was the fixture congestion, the travel load, playing on artificial turf, or perhaps all of it. But they find themselves in a hole. They have the quality to overcome the 2 goal defecit, plus they will be in their home stadium, where Mexican clubs are traditionally much stronger. But if Montreal just doesn’t play extremely negative for 90 minutes and opens up whenever Santos Laguna makes a mistake, they should be able to advance to the semi-finals.
There defence has been great all along, including in their recent warm up trip to Italy where they did not lose any games they played against series B and C teams. Hopefully they will maintain their cool in Mexico.
I saw a montreal game last year while I was up in Canada. hey have a great fan base and I hope they use this game to build an even bigger one.
Love watching Oswaldo Sanchez get beat. One of my favorite things, ever.
BK, thanks. I watched the game, too, and it wasn’t pretty. Congrats to MTL, though.
To East River:
Saying that USL sides are “better” than MLS sides due to the results for Montreal and Puerto Rico is like saying that Burnley in the Championship in England is a better side then Chelsea and Liverpool, whom they beat in the FA Cup last season.
For the record. TFC did not lose to Montreal in the Canadian Championships last season. Yes we lost to Vancouver but we beat Montreal on their own ground and drew them at home.
Anybody can beat anybody else on any given day, but that does not in of itself speak to the overall quality of a team or of a particular league.
I am a TFC fan 24/7 and it is with gritted teeth that I would defend anything MTL, but foul on the second goal ?? What defender on earth worth a darn would not shield the ball and prevent a 35 year old striker from out jumping his keeper for the ball?? That was not a foul, that was inept defending and lost at sea goal keeping and a striker who took advantage of both…
AlexS, you sound like pure sour grapes. Montreal is a prototypical North American squad. Nothing pretty but they get the job done. Very similar in approach to counterattaching similar to old DC United squards and USMNT teams from just a few years ago.
But in a tourney where 3 MLS teams wash out two in qualifying and 1 in the group. Montreal and PR have both solidered through. Despite the travel miles, despite geting all the way to the semi-finals of their own playoffs. Then they go and beat a Mexican team 2-0 while not having played a competitive match since Oct.28th and still having a month plus left in their preseason. If you really REALLY think that they are not better then MLS teams, then MLS teams should PROVE IT and win in these games!
great to see a USL team succeeding… i am not a fan of any team in particular, but im all for success in this sport whether it be USL or MLS….
hopefully all 3 sides MLS/USL sides move on…
BK
That’s funny, MLS standards are to flunk out early in this tournament!
Montreal represents Canada, they won the three team playoff with the Whitecaps and TFC.
anyone know what the average ticket price was for this match? 50k is very impressive, but this wasn’t at MLS price levels, I am sure. Montreal was invited to bid on an MLS franchise and turned down the opportunity. I think this will turn out to be a long term mistake for soccer in the city, ten years from now I believe the gap between MLS and USL will be even larger, as the other successful USL franchises in large cities become MLS franchises. MLS has already taken the Sounders, within six years is likely to take the Whitecaps, Timbers, Fury and Miami off the table. who is Montreal going to be competing with? Rochester? Minnesota? Charleston? Richmond? all fine places, but hardly in the calibre of Montreal.
Also, for those saying the entry fee should be waived or lowered, that can’t and won’t happen. MLS, like all professional sport ownership, is a Ponzi scheme, albeit one run by, for and with complete knowledge, of billionaires. the only value in owning a franchise is that the value increases over time, you certainly don’t make any money from operations, or at least not nearly enough to justify the capital outlays. if, all of a sudden, an expansion team is only worth $20m, then Seattle literally threw money away, and everyone is worth less today on paper than they were yesterday. not a good model.
DC Josh – The Olympic Stadium is city owned. Its where the Montreal Expos played when they were in existence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Stadium_(Montreal)
elmatador,
Montreal represents canada… if they went to MLS, they would represent canada as well (Toronto does) via the Canadian Championship (TFC, Montreal, Vancouver)… if they competed in the club world cup, they would be representing CONCACAf, not an individual country
Don’t really mean to be a spoil sport, I’m happy for Montreal, but didn’t anyone else think there was a foul by Montreal on the second goal?
No matter in the end, 1-0 works too.
Matt Jordan, Sandro Grande, Pizzilitto, Sebrango and Gjertson are all pro-soccer vets that WOULD fit perfectly into MLS’ middle class, but they probably make more money playing for Montreal. Especially this year with the CCL games.
“Highlights” is a relative term. I thought both teams were shocking…well below even MLS standards. If that is what we can expect from our Champions League, God help us all.
Soccer on this continent is a sport that is building, the Champions league is a new tournament–last night showed, with time, what this sport can look like.
As for the MLS fee, etc. Honestly not sure.
If not the team then Matt Jordan, Sandro Grande, Nevio Pizzilitto, eduardo Sebrango, and Joey Gerstan should be on every MLS teams most wanted listed.
did you say 55,000 plus? holy s***! that was nearly a capacity night for a champions league game!
Ives, my question is does Montreal represent canada or USL from the United States, “IF” they went to MLS which country would they represent? evermore if they went to the clubs world cup? I do think that Montreal deserves to be consider for MLS team. The keep fillin up their stadiums, even in the most meaningless games like vs. the “becks” show with the galaxy..
Montreal plays at Stade Saputo an 13,000 outdoor stadium next door to the ‘Big O’. The ‘Big O’ is an awful stadium left over from the 76 olympics. Where the Expos used to play. They were forced indoors due to the snow in Montreal. Worked out well but isn’t a long term option. They don’t fill their 13000 seat stadiumm for all USL or even the Voyageurs Cup games between Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal (winner moved on into the Champions League tourney).
I watched most of the 2d half. Santos looked a bit fatigued and disinterested, but all credit to Montreal for caring enough to out-hustle the Mexicans and show that they wanted to win the game.
Even so, Montreal really only looked like they were a quality center-back and a holding midfielder from really cleaning Santos’ clock.
As to the attendance? Very cool. Can someone in Montreal clue us in – does the Impact normally play in Olympic Stadium? Could they draw 40k/game if they wanted to?
I’m really looking forward to Montreal’s game in Raleigh this year.
do they have their own stadium? looked like it might have been turf, not grass. But the video quality was so horrible. Glad, and shocked, to see that many people at a CONCACAF champions league game.
they played great qnd really eesponded to the crowd.
I find myself, a huge mls supporter, rooting strongly for montreal and puerto rico (and houston of course). And the fact that Oswaldo “Dirty” Sanchez was the goalie makes it ten times better.
If a USL team can get 50,000 in attendance, it seems like MLS teams should be able to average better than 10,000. Soccer is not much more popular there than many places in the US. What did they do that we don’t, and how can we improve? Thoughts?
I think the problem was that the $40 million Canadian offer included upgrading the stadium. Is there a firm source on what dollar value Saputo was offering to MLS coffers? I’m not so sure they are willing to hand MLS 40 million Canadian. That figure (reported as 43 mill Canadian) included stadium upgrades. I’ve seen 15 million thrown around as an estimate of that cost. 28m Canadaian is about $22m.
I’m not sure MLS will set the precedent of a franchise selling for $22m. Not when they can get $40m. Long-term who is going to be in Montreal’s league?
You’ll get the same thing out of Vancouver fans if the Whitecaps make it that far. I’m unsure about the support in Ottawa but I know for a fact that Montreal and Vancouver can easily support an MLS team with the same passion that Toronto does.
You know, I watched that game and at no point did I go “Montreal looks like a great side”. Santos kept a bulk of the control over the match and had more than a few good chances (good job at keeper). Montreal had some real good play, especialy in the buildup to the first goal, but spent most of the match a step behind Santos. That second goal was more about Oswaldo Sanchez’s inability to control his 18-yard box (and the forward’s hustle) than any kind of subtle exploitation by the Impact.
And yet people take this result as proof that USL is higher quality than MLS. Yes, they got a good result. Great for them. A few good counters while defending the whole match doesn’t make you a better side than all of MLS.
Montreal needs to be in the league right now. All of the other expansion bids include some bit of risk. Portland and Ottawa are smaller markets. St. Louis has the concerns about the ownership group’s financial stability. Miami has the concerns about attendance.
Montreal is a sure thing. Get them in for 2010 and give them the same deal Seattle got for bringing up some of the USL guys. If it takes lowering the price to $40mil Canadian instead of $40mil US, it’s worth it.
Wow. I am shocked to hear the turnout (although I suppose I should not be surprised since Canada has shown to be supportive of soccer). I am certainly more impressed with the turnout, but thats not a reflectance of the quality of the soccer that was played.
as far as lowering the franchise price… I don’t think it is necessary to lower it when there are strong cities *still* lining up for a franchise. I always felt Portland and STL were the better cities for expansion and as far as I know they are not wavering in their commitment to paying the franchise price and get an SSS.
Why would MLS lower the asking rate? Portland, Ottawa, Vancouver, Miami and even St Louis, despite not having a deep pockets owner, will pay the $40m. Seattle paid what, 30m? Why drop the price if people are ready to pay. There are owners who have been carrying the league since the beginning who want to get back some of the money theyve lost over the past decade, and rightfully so.
lol, oswaldo sanchez.
the game was great to watch and am now rooting for puerto rico islanders to make an upset somehow in honduras
It was a great result for the Impact, and wonderful to see the stadium close to capacity. I was most impressed w Montreal’s back line. They shut down Santos’ attack pretty well.
As for MLS? Well, the Impact have signed a couple of guys who turned MLS down over the winter (I bet they are making more money in Mtl too). I don’t think MLS “needs” to invite Montreal back in… but I still think that Garber may find himself without many takers at $40M… that’s a lot of money to pay for entry and a lot of debt to service in this lending environment. I’m also not sold that Mr. Saputo really wants to be in the “MLS structure” now… he’s doing pretty well in USL.
Does anyone think MLS will lower the price of admission (the rate at which candidates are dropping suggests that maybe they should)?
I love the sight of the goalkeeper falling over after realizing the ball was in the net