Rabid fans intend to make an Impact
60,000 will pack the Big O for MLS playoff showdown between hometown Montreal and TFC
Shortly after the Impact eliminated the Red Bulls in New York two weekends ago, Patrick Vallee — the club’s director of communications — announced that Game 1 of the MLS Eastern Conference final would be played at Olympic Stadium instead of Saputo Stadium.
Vallee added they would only be opening the lower bowl of the Big O for the game against Toronto FC next Tuesday night.
That plan didn’t last too long. The next day, the Impact announced that 20,000 tickets had already been sold. The day after that the number had reached 30,000. Two days later it was at 40,000 and last Friday the club announced that fewer than 10,000 tickets remained.
With about 55,000 tickets sold as of Tuesday morning, according to the Impact, you can expect a sellout crowd of more than 60,000 for the first game of the two-game, aggregate-goals series. Game 2 will be on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at Toronto’s BMO Field, with the winner advancing to the MLS Cup on Saturday, Dec. 10, against Seattle or Colorado.
The Impact set a Canadian record for soccer attendance on April 29, 2015, when a sellout crowd of 61,004 watched Montreal lose 4-2 to Mexico’s Club America at the Big O in the final of the CONCACAF Champions League.
A sellout for the Toronto FC game would be a pleasant surprise for the Impact after only 15,027 showed up at Saputo Stadium for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal, in which the Impact beat the Red Bulls 1-0, before winning the second game 2-1 in New York.
The Canadiens are also playing at home next Tuesday night, when the Ottawa Senators visit the Bell Centre, so a sellout for the Impact would also show that Montreal can be more than just a hockey city — or a Habs city — for at least one night.
Another sign of just what kind of an event the Impact-Toronto game has quickly become is the fact RDS has decided to put the Impact on its main channel and drop the Canadiens game to RDS2, with that channel made available free for cable-TV viewers who pay for RDS, but not RDS2.
“It’s definitely a sign of the growth of the Impact,” Domenic Vannelli, the vice-president of production for RDS, said about the network’s decision, adding that the Canadiens were made aware of it.
“When there’s a happening event in this town, people just attract to it. This will definitely pick up more steam as we get closer. They will be at 60,000 ... there’s no doubt in my mind.
“It was a no-brainer, honestly,” Vannelli said of the decision, noting a lot of TV viewers will probably flip back-and-forth between the Impact and Canadiens games.
The Impact played an intrasquad game Tuesday morning at Centre Nutrilait as they continue preparations for the conference final. The players will have the day off Wednesday before training indoors at the Big O Thursday through Monday.
Coach Mauro Biello said his players are “ecstatic” about the number of tickets sold for the game.
“It means a lot to them to see 60,000 fans come out and it’s going to be big,” the coach said. “They know it’s big, they know what it represents, they know we’re playing Toronto. And to have that (crowd) behind us is special. There are certain moments in a career that don’t always come around and this is special.”
The Impact played their first two regular season games this year at the Big O and won both without allowing a goal, beating the Red Bulls 3-0 in front of 27,545 fans and dropping the Columbus Crew 2-0 in front of 22,053. Biello said the fact his players know the stadium and its artificial turf should be a big advantage against Toronto FC.
The Big O isn’t a fun place to be if there isn’t a big crowd. But the soulless block of concrete definitely comes to life when it’s full, as Expos fans will recall.
Biello said his favourite Big O Expos memory was waiting after a game with a friend to get an autograph from pitcher Floyd Youmans.
“It’s a tremendous atmosphere … you get 60,000 in there, it’s like a plane is landing,” Biello said. “For the players, it’s big because, when you make a nice play or you make an action and you hear the crowd behind you, it gives you confidence.”
Goalkeeper Evan Bush said he was expecting a big crowd for the game against Toronto FC, but nothing like this.
“It’s certainly motivating for us,” he said. “We’re excited about it, the fans are obviously excited about it. I think we’re in a position to put a good performance in. We’ve had 16 days to rest up, so there should be no excuses as far as our freshness or anything like that.
“We should go out and have a good performance and reward those fans for showing up.”