Montreal Impact

This article is about the MLS team. For the NASL/USL men's team, see Montreal Impact (1992–2011).
Montreal Impact
Impact de Montréal
Full name Montreal Impact (English)
Impact de Montréal (French)
Founded 2010[nb 1]
Stadium Saputo Stadium
Montreal, Quebec
Stadium
capacity		 20,801[1]
Owner Joey Saputo
Head Coach Mauro Biello
League Major League Soccer
2015 Eastern Conference: 3rd
Overall: 7th
Playoffs: Conference semifinal
Website Club home page

The Montreal Impact (French: Impact de Montréal) is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Montreal, Quebec that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). It began play in the 2012 season as the league's 19th franchise and third Canadian club, replacing the North American Soccer League team of the same name. In 2015, the Impact became the second MLS club, and first Canadian club, to advance to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League, in its current format since 2008. They also won the Canadian Championship in both 2013 and 2014. The club plays its home games at the Saputo Stadium and is coached by Mauro Biello.

History

Toward the end of 2007, much speculation had been made about a possible franchise move for the lower division Impact to Major League Soccer. The construction of the expandable Saputo Stadium further suggested an interest on the part of the group to move up to the top level North American league. Although Toronto FC held a three-year Canadian exclusivity deal that did not expire until 2009, they stated in March 2008 that they would gladly welcome the Impact into MLS.[2] Chairman Joey Saputo held talks with George Gillett (former co-owner of Liverpool F.C. and former owner of the Montreal Canadiens) regarding possible joint ownership of a franchise.[3] On July 24, 2008, MLS announced they were seeking to add two expansion teams for the 2011 season, of which Montreal was listed as a potential candidate.[4]

On November 22, 2008, the group's bid for an MLS franchise was not retained by commissioner Don Garber. In response to Vancouver's successful bid in March 2009, Impact GM Nick De Santis commented that he expected chairman Saputo to pursue and ultimately realize his vision of Montreal as an MLS franchise someday.[5] By May 16, 2009, the Montreal Gazette reported Garber and Saputo had resumed talks for an expansion team to begin play in 2011.[6]

On May 7, 2010, Garber and Saputo officially announced Montreal as the nineteenth club in Major League Soccer, set to begin play for the 2012 season.[7] The MLS franchise is privately owned by the Saputo family.[8]

On June 14, 2011, the Montreal Impact announced a five-year agreement with the Bank of Montreal to become their lead sponsor and jersey sponsor in MLS.[9]

On March 10, 2012, the Impact played their first-ever MLS game, a 2-0 loss against Vancouver Whitecaps FC.[10] A week later, the team made its home debut at the Olympic Stadium, playing to a 1-1 tie with Chicago Fire; the match attracted 58,912 spectators, surpassing the previous record for professional soccer in Montreal established in a 1981 Montreal Manic home game (58,542).[11] On May 12, 2012, the Impact played in front of a crowd of 60,860 spectators during a game against the Los Angeles Galaxy, establishing a record attendance for a professional soccer match in Canada.[12] In the 2012 regular season, Montreal had finished in seventh in the Eastern Conference with a record of 12 wins, 16 losses, and 6 ties.

On February 23, 2013, Montreal won the 2013 Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic, beating Columbus Crew 1-0 in the final during their pre season campaign. Montreal Impact also have won the 2013 Canadian Championship on May 29, being their first major trophy as an expansion team in MLS, second in the club's existence.[13] This victory also gave the Impact its 8th Voyageurs Cup. In the 2013 MLS season, they had finished the regular season with a record of 14 wins, 13 losses, and 7 ties. Montreal Impact earned their first ever berth in the playoffs by clinching fifth seed in the Eastern conference. During the playoffs, Montreal were eliminated by the Houston Dynamo in the knockout round. By being champions of the 2013 Canadian Championship, Montreal earned their first ever berth as MLS expansion team for the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League.

In 2014, The Impact became repeated champions of the Voyageurs Cup by beating Toronto FC in the 2014 Canadian Championship final on June 4, 2014.. In the 2014 MLS season, Montreal Impact finished their season with a 6-18-10 (W-L-D) record being the worst team in MLS that season, being last in both Eastern conference and overall in the league. With the chances of appearing in the playoffs gone and still competing in the 2014-15 edition of the CCL, Montreal Impact had placed their focus in the regional tournament, consequently winning their group, advancing in the knockout stage.

Franchise's 2015 CCL run


The Impact played the 2015 CONCACAF Champions League final before a record 61,004 fans.

On March 3, 2015, Montreal became the first Canadian team, and only the second MLS team (after the 2013 Seattle Sounders FC) to eliminate a Liga MX side from the CONCACAF Champions League knockout stage when they eliminated Pachuca on away goals. They drew the first leg 2–2 in Pachuca and drew 1–1 at home on the return leg, sending the Impact through on away goals. On April 29, 2015, Montreal became the first Canadian team to reach the CONCACAF Champions League Final where they lost to Club America, after a 1–1 draw at Estadio Azteca and a 4–2 loss in front of 61,004 fans at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

In their 2015 MLS regular season campaign, Montreal finished third in the Eastern conference with 15 wins, 13 losses, and 6 ties returning to the playoffs. During the summer transfer window, the franchise acquired Didier Drogba who went on an scored 11 goals in his first 11 appearances for the club that season. In the conference knockout rounds of the playoffs, Montreal defeated Toronto FC 3-0 advancing to face Crew SC in thieir two game conference semifinal series.

Team name and logo

In regards to keeping the name "Impact," Montreal stated its intention "to maintain its name and global team image." The official logo for the team was revealed at the start of a match between the NASL Montreal Impact team and the NSC Minnesota Stars on August 6, 2011.[14][15][16][17][18]

The logo is a shield in blue, black, white and silver containing a stylized fleur-de-lis and four silver stars, overlaid with the Impact wordmark. The fleur-de-lis, which also appeared on the logo of the NASL Impact team, is a globally recognized symbol of French heritage, and features prominently on the flag of Quebec as a reflection of Québécois culture. The four stars represent the four founding communities of Montreal identified on the city's coat of arms.

Kit evolution

Home, away, and alternative Kits.

2012–2013
2014–2015
 |
2016–
 |}
  • Away
2012–2014
2015–
 |}
  • Alternative
2013–2014

Club culture

Supporters group

Impact's main supporters group is called Ultras Montréal, also known as UM02, and was founded in 2002. They follow the Impact on away games against New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution, DC United and Toronto FC. 127 Montréal was formed in 2011 who follow the Impact on occasional away games. The Montreal Impact Supporters Association was created in 2011 to better facilitate the relations between the Club and the Supporters Groups, to promote the supporters culture, and to help with the financing of different supporter group initiatives.

Banner for Ultras Montreal's 10th anniversary at Saputo Stadium before game between Montreal Impact and Columbus Crew on July 8, 2012.

Rivalries

Main article: 401 Derby

Montreal Impact's biggest rival is Toronto FC due to Canada's two largest cities having shared multiple rivalries both in and out of sport. Montreal and Toronto professional soccer teams have competed against each other for over 40 years. From the original NASL, as well as the Canadian Soccer League and the A-League, the rivalry has continued throughout various leagues they have played up until the past few years where both cities would still regularly meet for the Canadian Championships. Since both teams have joined the MLS, the rivalry has intensified and the matches have become a Canadian soccer classic which has been also named the 401 Derby.[19]

The following table lists the history of official soccer meetings in MLS and the Canadian Championship between Montreal and Toronto, updated to the most recent derby of October 29, 2015 (Montreal Impact - Toronto FC 3–0)

Matches Montreal wins draws Toronto wins Montreal goals Toronto goals
MLS regular season (2012-) 11 3 3 5 12 18
MLS cup playoff (2012-) 1 1 0 0 3 0
Canadian Championship (2008-) 14 3 3 8 13 20
Total Official matches 2676132838

Youth development system

FC Montreal

Main article: FC Montreal

FC Montreal is the farm club, of Montreal Impact, that was established in September 2014. FC Montreal competes in the USL Pro league, the third tier of the Canadian soccer pyramid. The team serves as the final step for Impact academy and development players, giving them the opportunity to play at a professional level before they transition into joining MLS.[20][21]

Montreal Impact Academy

Montreal Impact Academy is the youth academy and development system of the Montreal Impact and was established in 2010. The academy currently consists of various teams, from U8 to U23. The U23 team competes in the USL Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the Canadian soccer pyramid and the U18 and U16 teams both compete in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.[22]

Stadium

Match of Montreal Impact at Saputo Stadium against New York Red Bulls on July 28, 2012

Montreal play its home games at Saputo Stadium, built for the second division Impact but designed with expansion in mind anticipating a move to MLS. The Quebec government announced $23 million funding to expand to more than 20,000 and to build a training field with a synthetic turf next door.[8]

The Impact had hoped Saputo Stadium expansion would be finished in time for the start of the 2012 MLS season, but it was announced on July 17, 2011 that the expansion would be delayed. As a consequence, the neighbouring Olympic Stadium was used for the Impact's first six home dates (5 MLS Regular Season, 1 Canadian Championship)[23] The Impact's first MLS game at Saputo Stadium was played on June 16, 2012, a 4-1 win over Seattle.[24]

Though Saputo Stadium serves as the Impact's regular home, Olympic Stadium will also be used for special events which demand a larger capacity or more favourable playing conditions (e.g. the team's home opener, the MLS All-Star Game, playoff games, or fall/winter international games).[25]

Home stadium

Other stadiums

Broadcasting

TVA Sports serves as the official French-language broadcaster of all Impact games not broadcast as a part of MLS' contract with the TSN family of networks (which includes French-language sports channel RDS). TVA Sports aired 24 games during the team's inaugural season.[26]

TSN 690 serves as the English-language radio flagship of the Impact.[27] Rick Moffat and Brian Wilde will share play by play duties while colour commentary will come from former Montreal Impact player Grant Needham. TSN 690's contract run's until the end of the 2016 season, with an option for the 2017 season.

Players and staff

For details on former players, see All-time Montreal Impact roster.

Current roster

Where a player has not declared an international allegiance, nation is determined by place of birth. Squad correct as of February 13, 2016.[28]

No. Position Player Nation
1 Goalkeeper Evan Bush      United States
2 Defender Ambroise Oyongo      Cameroon
5 Defender Wandrille Lefèvre (HGP)     Canada
6 Defender Hassoun Camara      France
7 Forward Dominic Oduro      Ghana
8 Midfielder Patrice Bernier (Captain)     Canada
10 Midfielder Ignacio Piatti (DP)     Argentina
11 Forward Didier Drogba (DP)     Ivory Coast
14 Midfielder Harry Shipp      United States
15 Forward Andrés Romero      Argentina
16 Midfielder Calum Mallace      Scotland
17 Forward Romario Williams (GA)     Jamaica
18 Midfielder Kyle Bekker      Canada
22 Goalkeeper Eric Kronberg      United States
23 Defender Laurent Ciman      Belgium
24 Forward Anthony Jackson-Hamel (HGP)     Canada
25 Defender Donny Toia      United States
26 Defender Kyle Fisher      United States
27 Midfielder Johan Venegas      Costa Rica
28 Midfielder Gagnon-Laparé, JérémyJérémy Gagnon-Laparé (HGP)     Canada
29 Midfielder Eric Alexander      United States
32 Midfielder Lucas Ontivero (on loan from Galatasaray)     Argentina
33 Midfielder Marco Donadel      Italy
36 Defender Victor Cabrera      Argentina
39 Forward Cameron Porter      United States
40 Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau (HGP)     Canada
51 Midfielder Maxim Tissot (HGP)     Canada

Retired numbers

12 - Club Supporters (the 12th Man)
20 - Mauro Biello, forward (1993–98, 2000–09)

Management

Executive staff

  • Executive VP of the Impact —Richard Legendre
  • Chief revenue officer — Marc Bourassa
  • Chief strategic officer — André Côté
  • Chief marketing officer — Hugues Léger
  • Chief financial officer — Sylvie Desrochers

Head coaches records

As of November 11, 2015
Coach Nation From To Record1
GWLTWin %
Nick De Santis (interim)  Canada June 28, 2011 September 30, 2011
Jesse Marsch  United States October 1, 2011 November 3, 2012 36 12 17 7 33.33
Mauro Biello (interim)  Canada November 5, 2012 January 6, 2013
Marco Schällibaum   Switzerland January 7, 2013 December 18, 2013 43 17 17 9 39.53
Frank Klopas  United States December 18, 2013 August 30, 2015 83 25 31 27 30.12
Mauro Biello (interim)  Canada August 30, 2015 November 13, 2015 14 9 2 3 64.29
Mauro Biello  Canada November 13, 2015 present

Honours

Team records

Year-by-year

Season MLS regular season Position MLS Cup
Playoffs		 Canadian
Championship		 Champions
League
GP W L D GF GA Pts Conf. Overall
2012 3412166455142 7th 12th DNQ Semi-Finals DNQ
2013 3414137504949 5th 11th Knockout Round Champions Group Stage
2014 3461810385828 10th 19th DNQ Champions Runner-up
2015 3415136484451 3rd 7th Conference Semifinal Runner-up DNQ

Note: Only MLS regular season goals counted
DNQ = Did Not Qualify

All-time Continental Competition Win/Loss

Last updated April 29, 2015

Club Pld W D L GF GA GD
Costa RicaL.D. Alajuelense 2101440
MexicoClub América 201135-2
El SalvadorC.D. FAS 2200422
GuatemalaHeredia 2101211
United StatesNew York Red Bulls 2110211
MexicoC.F. Pachuca 2020330
United StatesSan Jose Earthquakes 210113-2
Total 14 6 4 4 19 19 0

International results

As of April 29, 2015

Player records

Top goalscorers

# Pos. Name Nation Career MLS Playoffs CC CCL Total
1 Forward Di Vaio, MarcoMarco Di Vaio  Italy 2012–2014 34 – 2 4 40
2 Forward McInerney, JackJack McInerney  United States 2014–2015 11 – 4 3 18
3 Midfielder Bernier, PatricePatrice Bernier  Canada 2012– 13 2 1 – 16
Midfielder Piatti, IgnacioIgnacio Piatti  Argentina 2014– 13 1 – 2 16
Forward Romero, AndresAndres Romero  Argentina 2013– 12 – 1 3 16
6 Midfielder , FelipeFelipe  Brazil 2012–2014 12 – 2 – 14
7 Forward Drogba, DidierDidier Drogba  Ivory Coast 2015– 11 1 – – 12
8 Forward Oduro, DominicDominic Oduro  Ghana 2015– 8 – 1 – 9
9 Midfielder Duka, DillyDilly Duka  United States 2014– 5 1 – 2 8
Midfielder Nyassi, SannaSanna Nyassi  Gambia 2012–2014 8 – – – 8
Forward Wenger, AndrewAndrew Wenger  United States 2012–2014 6 – 1 1 8

Last updated: November 9, 2015.
CC = Canadian Championship; CCL = CONCACAF Champions League
Bolded players are currently on the Montreal Impact roster.

Top Assists

# Pos. Name Nation Career MLS Playoffs CC CCL Total
1 Midfielder Mapp, JustinJustin Mapp  United States 2012–2015 21 – 5 – 26
2 Midfielder , FelipeFelipe  Brazil 2012–2014 24 – – 1 25
3 Midfielder Bernier, PatricePatrice Bernier  Canada 2012– 20 1 2 1 24
4 Midfielder Piatti, IgnacioIgnacio Piatti  Argentina 2014– 9 1 – 5 15
5 Forward Di Vaio, MarcoMarco Di Vaio  Italy 2012–2014 9 – 2 1 12
6 Forward Romero, AndrésAndrés Romero  Argentina 2013– 9 – – 1 10
7 Midfielder Arnaud, DavyDavy Arnaud  United States 2012–2013 8 – – – 8
Midfielder Donadel, MarcoMarco Donadel  Italy 2015– 5 1 1 1 8
Midfielder Mallace, CalumCalum Mallace  Scotland 2012– 6 – 1 1 8
10 Defender Camara, HassounHassoun Camara  France 2012– 6 – – – 6

Last updated: November 1, 2015.
CC = Canadian Championship; CCL = CONCACAF Champions League
Bolded players are currently on the Montreal Impact roster.

Most appearances

# Pos. Name Nation Career MLS Playoffs CC CCL Total
1 Midfielder Bernier, PatricePatrice Bernier  Canada 2012– 104 3 11 9 127
2 Defender Camara, HassounHassoun Camara  France 2012– 89 2 9 9 109
3 Midfielder , FelipeFelipe  Brazil 2012–2014 93 1 7 6 107
Forward Romero, AndrésAndrés Romero  Argentina 2013– 86 1 11 9 107
5 Midfielder Mapp, JustinJustin Mapp  United States 2012–2015 82 1 10 6 99
6 Defender Ferrari, MatteoMatteo Ferrari  Italy 2012–2014 81 1 4 6 92
7 Forward Di Vaio, MarcoMarco Di Vaio  Italy 2012–2014 76 1 5 6 88
8 Defender Brovsky, JebJeb Brovsky  United States 2012–2014 65 1 7 3 76
9 Midfielder Mallace, CalumCalum Mallace  Scotland 2012– 55 3 7 9 74
10 Goalkeeper Bush, EvanEvan Bush  United States 2012– 46 3 8 13 70

Last Updated on November 9, 2015.
CC = Canadian Championship; CCL = CONCACAF Champions League
Bolded players are currently on the Montreal Impact roster.

Most clean sheets

# Name Nation Career MLS Playoffs CC CCL Total
1 Bush, EvanEvan Bush  United States 2012– 12 1 3 5 21
2 Perkins, TroyTroy Perkins  United States 2012–2014 15 – – – 15
3 Ricketts, DonovanDonovan Ricketts  Jamaica 2012 3 – 1 – 4
4 Kronberg, EricEric Kronberg  United States 2015– – – 1 – 1

Last Updated: October 29, 2015.
CC = Canadian Championship; CCL = CONCACAF Champions League
Bolded players are currently on the Montreal Impact roster.

Giuseppe Saputo Trophy

The Giuseppe Saputo Trophy is awarded to the team's Most Valuable Player.

Year Name Nation Ref.
2012Patrice Bernier Canada [31]
2013Marco Di Vaio Italy [32]
2014Andrés Romero Argentina [33]
2015Ignacio Piatti Argentina [34]

Golden Boot

Year Name Nation Goals Ref.
2012Bernier, PatricePatrice Bernier Canada 9 [35]
2013Di Vaio, MarcoMarco Di Vaio Italy 20 [36]
2014Di Vaio, MarcoMarco Di Vaio Italy 9 [37]
2015Drogba, DidierDidier Drogba Ivory Coast 11 [38]

Note: Only MLS regular season goals count.

Club captains

Dates Name Nation Ref.
2012-2013 Davy Arnaud  United States [39]
2014- Patrice Bernier  Canada [40]

Average attendance

Season MLS Season MLS Playoffs Canadian
Championship		 CONCACAF Friendlies Total Attendance
2012 22,772 DNQ 13,405 DNQ 19,225 419,754
2013 20,603 - 13,474 14,409 - 406,024
2014 17,557 DNQ 13,125 11,522 - 330,210
2015 17,750 17,862 12,457 44,261 - 495,162

Last Updated: November 1, 2015.
CC = Canadian Championship; CCL = CONCACAF Champions League DNQ = Did Not Qualify

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Club originally founded in 1992. MLS franchise granted in 2010.

References

  1. ↑ "Stade Saputo Expansion". Montreal Impact. March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  2. ↑ CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Soccer - Montreal to bid for MLS franchise
  3. ↑ "Gillett launches MLS bid". Sky Sports. March 27, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
  4. ↑ Major League Soccer: News: Article
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Phillips, Randy (May 16, 2009). "New coach, same old problem". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved May 17, 2009.
  7. ↑ Freedman, Jonah (May 7, 2010). ""Passionate" Montreal named as 19th MLS city". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  8. 1 2 "MLS awards expansion team to Montreal for 2012". Associated Press. July 5, 2010. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ Monte Stewart The Canadian Press (March 10, 2012). "Vancouver Whitecaps down Montreal Impact 2-0 in MLS season opener". thestar.com. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  11. ↑ Bill Beacon The Canadian Press (March 17, 2012). "Montreal Impact play to 1-1 draw with Chicago Fire before massive crowd in home debut". thestar.com. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Impact ties LA Galaxy 1-1 in front of 60,860 spectators at Olympic Stadium," from ImpactMontreal.com, December 5, 2012
  13. ↑ The Canadian Press (May 30, 2013). "Hassoun Camara's tying goal gives Impact Canadian soccer title". CBC.ca. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Montreal MLS 2012". Montreal MLS 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  15. ↑
  16. ↑ "Transcript: Commissioner Garber's State of the League". MLSsoccer.com. November 16, 2010. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  17. ↑ Myles, Stephanie (May 7, 2010). "Long wait over as Impact joins MLS". Montrealgazette.com. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ Borg, Simon. "Circle your calendars: 2014 MLS Canadian rivalry matches that will be showcased on national TV". Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  20. ↑ "A new USL Pro team". Impact Montreal. September 4, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Montreal Impact to Field USL PRO Team". United Soccer Leagues (USL). November 17, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  22. ↑ "The Montreal Impact launches its Pre-Academy program". montrealimpact.com. December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Impact to play its first MLS home game on March 17 at Olympic Stadium". Montreal Impact. November 29, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Impact beats Seattle Sounders 4-1 in Stade Saputo home opener," from ImpactMontreal.com, June 16, 2012
  25. ↑ "Stadiums". Montreal MLS 2012. June 2, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  26. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (July 14, 2011). "Quebecor Media Wins Montreal Impact TV Rights". The Hollywood Reporter.
  27. ↑ "TSN Radio 690 and Montreal Impact Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Rights Agreement". Tsn.ca. February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Players | Montreal Impact". ImpactMontreal.com. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Montreal Impact names Adam Braz technical director". Montreal Impact. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Montreal Impact". Montreal Impact. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Midfielder Patrice Bernier named Impact Most Valuable Player". Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Marco Di Vaio named Impact Player of the Year". Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Andrés Romero named Impact player of the year". Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Ignacio Piatti named Impact MPV". Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  35. ↑ |url=http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/stats/season?season_year=2012&season_type=REG&group=GOALS&op=Search&form_id=mls_stats_individual_form
  36. ↑ |url=http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/stats/season?season_year=2013&season_type=REG&group=GOALS&op=Search&form_id=mls_stats_individual_form
  37. ↑ |url=http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/stats/season?season_year=2014&season_type=REG&group=GOALS&op=Search&form_id=mls_stats_individual_form
  38. ↑ |url=http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/stats/season?season_year=2015&season_type=REG&group=GOALS&op=Search&form_id=mls_stats_individual_form
  39. ↑ "Davy Arnaud named team captain". Montreal Impact. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Midfielder Patrice Bernier named Impact captain". Montreal Impact. Retrieved November 22, 2015.

External links

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