May 27 - Voyageurs Cup: Montreal vs Toronto [R]

[SilverSamurai]

quote:Originally posted by speedmonk42

Totally agree here.

Below the TFC supporters section the crowd responded very well.

The kids were hilarious and they had something going pretty much the whole game. There is definitely a generation of mentally warped future UMO2 fans there.

You could tell (atleast from TV) that the goal "zapped" the crowd. Then all the casuals left early. Always sucky to see.

But for a small group, I thought the Impact supporters did well.

Too bad the broadcast sucked and you could barely hear any of the crowd. [xx(]

[Guest Ed]

Disappointing result for Montreal but all in all a great start to the qualifying. I think they were robbed on that first half non-PK call.

[MegasAlexandros1555362277]

Pics from the game:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=26890&l=ee411&id=504384032

[Mpenza]

I have seen both our opponents in the tournament play here in MTL 8 days apart and to me it is obvious that Vancouver is going to take it all if they keep playing the intelligent football they've been playing so far this season.

As for the stuff that happpened after the game, let's not make a fuss about nothing. Cause that's what it really was: nothing. Some over-excited fella and a bunch of his friends taunting TFC fans and TFC fans, vastly outnumbering the MTL guys, responded. Of course it's easy to get into a fight when you're 10 to 1... It was shameful on both parts. The scarf burning was stupid, the response didn't fly much higher. Sad.

[Ivan]

quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

I have seen both our opponents in the tournament play here in MTL 8 days apart and to me it is obvious that Vancouver is going to take it all if they keep playing the intelligent football they've been playing so far this season.

Interesting. Or, they could play like they did against Seattle last Friday night, in which case they won't win a game against either TFC or the Impact.

[jimmynow]

I've seen TFC play better-than-USL-sides at home and make them all look pretty enemic. 1 goal against in 5 league games. So Vanny and MTL really need a great resolve to win at BMO.

I also think what's been forgotten is that TFC was playing its 4th game in 10 days with 7-8 of the guys who have played in all 4 games. TFC played on May 17th, May 21, May 24, and May 27. I actually thought Carver might use lots of subs in the MTL game because of the recent # of games.

Montreal played a half sub game on Thursday but really their last league game was 8 days before.

It did seem like Montreal had better legs in the early going and TFC didn't.

[piltdownman]

Nice, showing by TFC supporters. Sure will beat the 7 of us coming from Vancouver for our match there.

[SilverSamurai]

quote:Originally posted by piltdownman

Nice, showing by TFC supporters. Sure will beat the 7 of us coming from Vancouver for our match there.

You're coming w/ 7 supporters?

Nice!

Maybe next year we can send a TFC group for the next set of qualifiers.

I wish I was around in July for the TFC leg of home games but I"ll be in Moncton sadly.

I'm sure you'll like BMO, but maybe not the beer prices![:I]

[Mpenza]

quote:Originally posted by jimmynow

It did seem like Montreal had better legs in the early going and TFC didn't.

True, but I felt it was the other way around towards the end. Which is funny because I thought the number of games recently played by TFC might have its toll on some of the TFC guys... but we started to look out of it midway through the second half. Barnett was dead tired and subbed way too late in the game.

[Michael Crampton]

quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

Some over-excited fella and a bunch of his friends taunting TFC fans and TFC fans, vastly outnumbering the MTL guys, responded. Of course it's easy to get into a fight when there's a group of guys waiting outside the gate provoking you and instead of going out there and ushering them away STUPID SECURITY FORCES YOU OUT THE GATE THUS PRACTICALLY GARUNTEEING THAT THE CONFRONTATION WOULD ESCALATE... It was shameful on SECURITY'S part. The scarf burning was stupid, waiting outside the gate was stupid, thinking that a group of 200 would be intimidated by 20 or so guys was stupid and the response was predictable and could have easily been avoided with better crowd control. Sad.

Fixed you post.

[Toronto Ruffrider]

It looked as though Montreal was running on adrenaline at the start of the game. The Impact players caught TFC flat-footed and almost made them pay early on. Montreal was really unfortunate not to be leading 1-0 at the interval, as Velez should have been called for a foul in the area.

In the second half, TFC looked like it was playing more composed football. For as lousy as Cunny was - his finishing was atrocious - he was fast, and Pesoli's foul on him from behind was a justifiable second yellow card. Once ahead in manpower, TFC took advantage of its set pieces close to goal. Robert is great at taking in-swinging free kicks, as was illustrated by Velez's 72nd-minute goal. After that goal TFC controlled the ball a lot, basically trying to run out the game. The last few minutes of the game weren't pretty, but the visiting side basically did what it needed to do to get the three points.

From my perspective, this game could have gone either way. Montreal controlled the first half and Toronto the second, so scoring chances were pretty balanced over the course of the game. Had the Impact's finishing been strong early on, Toronto would have donuts on the standings' page today.

With the loss from last night's game, I think Montreal has an uphill battle for the rest of the tournament. I can't see the Impact getting much from BMO Field, so it will have to make its games against the Whitecaps count.

As for TFC, it played an ugly game, one it was fortunate to win. If Toronto plays in a similar manner against Vancouver, it may not be so lucky again.

[BrennanFan]

it was a good game, nice to see the Voyageurs Cup mentioned on NATIONAL TELEVISION.

the Impact looked great at first, but they got screwed early on when di Lorenzo got injured. He was owning that left side up until then, totally dominated wynne and sent in some great crosses. too bad.

Placentino was fired up for this one, he deserved a goal. Too bad Gbeke didnt get in, i would have liked to see him play for once.

Montreal is good, much better than i thought. Gervais, di Lorenzo, Leduc in his holding mid role, and maybe Gbeke could make the difference next time.

Harmse was disappointing. He did nothing. Hemming is so much better defensively and offensively, i just dont get it. Cunningham, though he creates nothing himself, was unlucky. Robert didnt look super interested, Smith sucked worse than Lombardo would have and Ricketts is a muppet.

Brennan, however, was solid and in my view, could be Canada's Captain this WCQ. He is a better leader than Stalteri, and commands more respect from the players than McKenna.

[Guest speedmonk42]

quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

I have seen both our opponents in the tournament play here in MTL 8 days apart and to me it is obvious that Vancouver is going to take it all if they keep playing the intelligent football they've been playing so far this season.

I really liked Carvers comments. As a supporter of the USL for many years it might be the best thing ever said about the league.

My comment on the series was that I think overall TFC would come through, but it would not be easy. USL teams are hot/cold and I think Vancouver is the same, though with a new coach perhaps a bit more consistent.

[Mpenza]

quote:Originally posted by BHTC Mike

Fixed you post.

Dammit... this only gets better and better. Security forced you out of the stadium??!

They dont know what they're doing, we have issues with them and already have contacted the club about that. It is obvious they're a bunch of clowns (not to say pricks in some cases). They are constantly looking for ways to confront us. It's been two games, it can't last for a season.

[Guest speedmonk42]

quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

Dammit... this only gets better and better. Security forced you out of the stadium??!

They dont know what they're doing, we have issues with them and already have contacted the club about that. It is obvious they're a bunch of clowns (not to say pricks in some cases). They are constantly looking for ways to confront us. It's been two games, it can't last for a season.

I can confirm that. Security panicked. They forced everyone away from the corner, which looked like it made sense to diffuse the situation, then forced everyone out the gates and closed them.

I am really not sure what they thought they were doing.

[Guest speedmonk42]

quote:Originally posted by piltdownman

Nice, showing by TFC supporters. Sure will beat the 7 of us coming from Vancouver for our match there.

Cool.

Look forward to seeing you guys.

We'll have to meet for a beer. If you guys have any questions about where to stay ect... feel free to ask.

[SilverSamurai]

quote:Originally posted by speedmonk42

Cool.

Look forward to seeing you guys.

We'll have to meet for a beer. If you guys have any questions about where to stay ect... feel free to ask.

I won't be around sadly as I'll be in Moncton learning French, but if you're in Montreal on the 20th for the Canada game we will see you there.

[piltdownman]

No sorry we are headed to Montreal not Toronto. Sorry I worded that really wrong.

[Blue and White Army]

quote:Originally posted by speedmonk42

But if anyone can point to a group of TFC fans who actively, hours before the game started went around looking for fights, grabbing people, pushing and hitting people... tell us who they are.

UM02 knows exactly who these people are. And no, I am not saying they are responsible at all or have any control over such things.

These ten(ish) idiots have caused us all huge problems and those who responded to them.

Hmmm, sounds like TFC supporters are suffering from the same thing the Portland Timbers supporters were a few years ago: a handful of punch-happy muppets who decided they were back in Eastern Europe, and would attempt to cause fights at each and every match they went to. All dressed up in Burberry, etc etc. Poseurs, really, but ended up dragging down the reputation of the entire Timbers' Army.

In the end, the majority of the Timbers' Army told the trouble-makers to f*** off, and they did. No problems since.

Me thinks it's time for the U-Sector, RPBs, etc to pull up their socks and get rid of TFC's pubic lice.

If this handful of idiots started all the trouble, then I can understand why a few of the UM02 might have wanted to wait for them after the match. It's their ground, their pride, their wounded egos, etc. I suppose if the mainstream TFC supporters (U-Sector, RPBs, etc) didn't realize this and thought it was simply a Montreal vs. Toronto scrap, they may have inadvertently defended the TFC pubic lice.

As piltdownman has noted, there will be at least seven Vancouver supporters at the June 17th match at Saputo. I don't forsee any trouble happening. Montreal's natural derby rivals are Rochester and Toronto; I'd expect anyone else to get a nice reception. Hell, even the Portland Timbers during their "hooligan" heyday welcomed Atlanta supporters, traded scarves, had pre-match beers in the Timbers' pub, etc. Anyone travelling more than a time-zone or two usually gets respect from fellow USL supporters. [:I]

[Mpenza]

TFC fans weren't there to be arrogant or look for fights... of course not.

The U-Sector just randomly picked the UM02 pub for a pre-game beer and announced it on their forums the day before the game. Must've been an accident.

[Cashcleaner]

Just have to add my remarks about the game now that I'm up, coherent, and sober.

Montreal put their "A" game on and had plenty of opportunities to score in the first half. I'm gonna be honest, but I thought Toronto was gonna just rack up the goals with impunity. Instead, Montreal really put the on our defence and locked down Toronto's attack. Both teams played aggressively, as evident by the string of yellows and the eventual red (Montreal's Stefano Pesoli). Final score was 1-0 for Toronto, but it could easily have been draw or Montreal win if they just could have pulled in a few more shots on net. Without a doubt, Montreal played a game that would put some of our MLS opponents to shame.

As for the supporter-related incidents, I do know of a group of TFC guys that showed up eariler on to the stadium and were jumped outseid by a larger group. From what I've been told, everyone took off once security showed up on the scene. I don't think the guys were RPB or U-Sector, though. As for after the game, there was a fairly serious confrontation between groups at the exit that was made so much worse when the security staff at the stadium pushed everyone out in dissarray and procceded to lock the gates behind them. Anyone with half a brain would have acknowledged the situation before it got out of hand and kept the TFC supporters in while the Impact guys exited and dispersed. Like others have mentioned, it was really just a handful of individuals causing problems in the first place but exacerbated by a bad move on the part of security.

[coppercanuck]

Thanks for the pics MA. I love the look of the 1993 banner with the blue and white strips. That would make a great jersey.

[Guest speedmonk42]

quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

TFC fans weren't there to be arrogant or look for fights... of course not.

The U-Sector just randomly picked the UM02 pub for a pre-game beer and announced it on their forums the day before the game. Must've been an accident.

Are there TFC idiots? Yes. Don't deny it and they get talked down ALOT.

The bar thing, I can tell you exactly how that happened. It was 'cross pollination' from the Canada vs St. Vincent stuff as the only bar close to the stadium considered not horrible.

When the guy walked up to us at the table, it was so animated and stupid everyone thought he was kidding.

But none of that matters. The only question is how do we keep it from escalating into greater stupidity. I think an effort needs to be made on this front by everyone.

Life is already difficult enough for UM02 with saputo. This can't possibly help.

[RS]

quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

The worst home team last year in MLS with the 12th man there to "help" them?

Welcome to 2008, Jeffrey.

quote:Originally posted by Mpenza

TFC fans weren't there to be arrogant or look for fights... of course not.

The U-Sector just randomly picked the UM02 pub for a pre-game beer and announced it on their forums the day before the game. Must've been an accident.

Is that why I personally called up our bus plus dozens of others in our group and told them not to show up to Bar 99?

U-Sector alone had over 100 people in Montreal yesterday. Of that number, how many showed up to that bar?

quote:Originally posted by Blue and White Army

Hmmm, sounds like TFC supporters are suffering from the same thing the Portland Timbers supporters were a few years ago: a handful of punch-happy muppets who decided they were back in Eastern Europe, and would attempt to cause fights at each and every match they went to. All dressed up in Burberry, etc etc. Poseurs, really, but ended up dragging down the reputation of the entire Timbers' Army.

In the end, the majority of the Timbers' Army told the trouble-makers to f*** off, and they did. No problems since.

Me thinks it's time for the U-Sector, RPBs, etc to pull up their socks and get rid of TFC's pubic lice.

If this handful of idiots started all the trouble, then I can understand why a few of the UM02 might have wanted to wait for them after the match. It's their ground, their pride, their wounded egos, etc. I suppose if the mainstream TFC supporters (U-Sector, RPBs, etc) didn't realize this and thought it was simply a Montreal vs. Toronto scrap, they may have inadvertently defended the TFC pubic lice.

I'm pretty sure you read speedmonk's post backwards

He was saying that TFC fans are not the ones who obsessed for hours/days about jumping rival fans and causing crap. He rightfully pointed the finger directly at some of the dumber members of UM02.

Yeah, TFC fans responded when taunted. But none of our fans were actively looking for trouble. It wasn't our guys who circled the entire stadium to wait for the opposing fans to exit.

[Franky]

Rudi,

please add the jackpot of coins being whipped at us and some rocks/stones (definitely not pebbles!!) thrown at us too. scarf burning, what is this the middle east??!!!

the biggest problem and i hope Saputo reads this, YOU NEED SECURITY AND POLICE OUTSIDE THE PERIMETER OF YOUR FNCKIN STADIUM!!!!

you are not getting into the MLS if a strong potential rival will encounter this each time.

everyone has a story and will try to make it seem as if it the other persons at fault. some you tube videos will surface and it will speak for itself.

Only TWO EXITS FOR THE ENTIRE STADIUM!!! one that resembles a skateboarders dwelling, tagged with the gangs of montreal. the other exit (although bigger, oooh) is suppose to allow the rest of the capacity through??? at the 40th minute mark, there was still a contingent of spectators STILL!!!! trying to enter the grounds.

the only thing that can be complemented about Saputo's stadia, was a beautiful pitch. but, pretty much.... nothing else to brag about.

The UM02 seem pretty solid behind the net and can hear them time for time, but we are still louder []