Whilst the U.S. Embassy may have issued a travel advisory for Montreal due to the escalating crisis around student protests, Impact supporters have voted with their feet for the most eagerly anticipated match of the season at Olympic Stadium.
On Saturday afternoon, a standing room only crowd of well over 60,000 will be all ears, eyes and football noise for their home date with David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Representing a three-fold increase from when the Impact last took to the pitch for a home league match against the Portland Timbers back in late April, Beckham-mania has truly captivated la belle ville similar to the manner Giants Stadium was packed to the rafters back in August 2007 when over 66,000 showed up to watch Beckham's maiden bow in New York.
Although Saturday represents the first time Beckham is in Montreal for work-related purposes, affairs of the heart led to England's most capped outfield player paying a visit to Montreal shortly after his sending off at the 1998 World Cup Finals in his nation's second round Argentine defeat.
Unlike Thursday night when Beckham arrived at the airport along with the rest of the Galaxy squad amidst a phalanx of light bulbs and autograph requests, it was aboard a tour bus from Mansfield, Massachusetts from which he presented himself at a nondescript border crossing some 50 miles south of Montreal back in summer 1998.
This though was no ordinary tour bus. Neither were Beckham's circumstances, having flown back with the defeated England squad to London on Canada Day to a nation seemingly baying for Beckham blood following what's now one of the most infamous red cards in all of world football. His moment of madness whilst laying prone on the St. Etiene surface, he lashed out at Diego Simeone in full glare of the referee.
A recipient of death threats as an actual effigy of Beckham was left hanging outside a London pub, a thoroughly dejected and demoralized Beckham sought the sanctuary of the U.S. to be reunited with his then fiancée Victoria Adams.
Better known as Posh Spice, Beckham left all his England cares behind him as he briefly joined the Spiceworld tour that on July 10th played to a sold-out show at the Bell Centre. Hardly recognized by anyone, Beckham did though take the time to sign an England shirt that was destined for a charity event on behalf of the Montreal Children's Hospital.
Beckham's other connection to Montreal was a late summer 2009 report from the New York Times that suggested an interest on his part to leverage his option to purchase an MLS franchise into some form of partnership stake with Impact owner Joey Saputo.
Saputo has never directly responded to that suggestion but Beckham was a willing participant when the subject came up in the pre-match press conference staged at Olympic Stadium on Friday.
"There was truth to it obviously, I have that option in my contract so it's something that I've obviously thought about but I'm still playing so you know it's not right for me to own a team whilst I'm still playing," Beckham stated to the standing room only media throng.
That interest was clearly mutual and whatever initial discussions took place, they must have been beneficial as they led to face-to-face talks between Beckham and Impact principles.
"Yeh, I met the guys," added Beckham. "I think they're great guys, and I think they are really good business people."
The Impact ship has already sailed sans Beckham, who could not have been more complimentary to the job Impact president Joey Saputo is doing.
"It's great to see them in the league now," said Beckham. "It's great to see their ideas, and their dreams come out and be shown within the MLS. So it's good."
With the Galaxy off to a club worst start, having already suffered as many defeats through nine matches as the they did through the entire 2011 season, Saturday at Olympic Stadium represents a stern test for the MLS champs in what is certain to be a cauldron-like atmosphere and playing against a club that's fresh off last week's splendid Sporting occasion.
The Impact may be smarting from their midweek inertia in Toronto when, yet again, they failed in what is now their eighth straight attempt at defeating Canada's original MLS franchise in Amway Canadian Championship play. They do, though, put their unbeaten home record on the line Saturday.
This for a club that has grown in confidence and MLS stature as their inaugural season plays out. From a position of four defeats in the first fivefixtures and just the solitary point from their home opener back on March 10th to today and their most recent five matches where the Impact have only been beaten once down in Dallas back in mid April, courtesy of a brace of late goals.
Now with the Impact having put to bed those so-termed historic first victories both at home and on the road and having never truly referred to themselves as a genuine expansion club, Saturday afternoon's encounter is much more than another home date.
With the Whitecap's having already shown their playoff credentials as they sit nestled in fourth spot in the Western Conference, the Impact have a genuine possibility of following up last week's defeat of the Eastern Conference leaders by claiming the scalp of the current league champions. With that, a growing belief that their current position amongst the cusp of playoff candidates is not merely a Montreal mirage.
To claim the points, the league's 19th franchise will need to ensure Beckham, who thrives and feeds off regal occasions, is not given license to roam the vast areas of the Olympic Stadium pitch, spraying balls all over to the very fast advancing Roy Keane and Landon Donovan. Like how Beckham did through last season's successful playoff run, reward of which is a trip to the White House next Tuesday.
If the Impact do have a glaring weakness for all to see, it's their alarming foul count, which is part and parcel of the football Jesse Marsch has them playing. On Saturday though, they'll need to guard against their instincts and be very disciplined. Word has it, this Beckham fella knows a thing or two about dead ball situations.
Montreal Impact Vs LA Galaxy - Saturday 4pm et/1pm pt on TSN.