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Analyst, TSN Radio 690 Montreal

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As Toronto FC was making final preparations for Saturday evening’s MLS Cup, Joey Saputo and Adam Braz met with media to not only look back on the Montreal Impact’s 2016 season, but also to reflect on the club’s first five seasons in Major League Soccer.  They also looked ahead to the next five year cycle where the Impact President has put his club on notice that he expects a first MLS Cup by 2021.

With confirmation that nine of the eleven starters which took the Impact all the way to the Eastern Conference championship this season will return in 2017, the club confirmed the reserve team FC Montreal which has played in the USL the past two seasons would not be returning.

FC Montreal is a casualty of a significant overhaul to the Impact’s academy system, as had been rumoured, the Impact also announced Friday that they have partnered with the Ottawa Fury who very recently left the NASL to join the USL.

Affiliating with USL clubs is a strategy that is not uncommon in MLS and with the substantial cost of running a reserve team removed, these funds can be redirected to the Impact’s academy. At least three players from the academy will be with the senior team in 2017 - David Choinière, Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla and midfielder Louis Béland-Goyette.

In a twitter exchange with the Fury’s Head coach Paul Dalglish, he stated that they were proud to partner with the Impact, but made it clear the Fury were very much their own club. Dalglish also confirmed some Impact players loaned to the Fury would be prevented from playing if the two teams were to meet in the Canadian Championship - which in 2017, could only happen if both clubs were to make the final.

Saputo expects Bologna FC to have a greater part to play with the Impact going forward be that with player development or in cases with players like Mancosu who go out on loan to the Impact. Having dislodged Drogba from the starting XI, the Impact are looking to expand Mancosu’s loan deal, his current one expires June 30th.

As had been rumoured since the summer, the Impact president confirmed that 30-year old Swiss international midfielder Blerim Džemaili would be joining the Impact as a DP for 2017. Džemaili was signed on a multi-year deal by Bologna from Galatasaray shortly after EURO 2016, where he played in all four of Switzerland’s matches. Džemaili has been ever present for Bologna this season and would come over to the Impact after the conclusion of the 2016/17 Serie A season.

Patrice Bernier is expected to meet with Braz and Impact management over the next few weeks where it will be expected the club captain will sign his third and final contract since returning to Montreal exactly five years ago.

Braz alluded to the difficulties he faces over the coming days ahead of the December 13th Expansion Draft for Atlanta and Minnesota. MLS clubs can only protect a total of 11 players and with two clubs in this year’s expansion draft, the Impact face the possibility of losing two players. Even though his contract has expired, for expansion draft purposes if taken, Bernier would count as an Impact player.  

Over the Impact’s first five years in the league Saputo disclosed over $100m had been invested in the club and that as a business it was still not making a profit. The business of the Impact though is headed in the right direction. Fully two thirds of the home dates at Saputo Stadium were sell outs, a first for the Impact. Plus any disappointment with only just over 15,000 showing up for the semi-final home leg was forgotten when 61,000 packed into Olympic Stadium back on November 22nd. 

Added to this, it is evident there are far more people going about their daily business sporting Impact merchandise this season - which certainly speaks to the average supporter becoming connected deeper with their club. The key now is converting those who casually attend matches be it the Eastern Conference championship or the occasional match at Stade Saputo into season ticket holders. In their first five seasons, the Impact has lagged in growing their season ticket base towards the 10,000 mark, just under 50% of the Stade Saputo capacity.

Saputo would not be drawn on who he will be cheering for at MLS Cup Saturday evening and stated although the Impact were not in position to compete with Toronto FC in the DP market, the Impact President would not hesitate if a situation like signing a Drogba ever came his way again.