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How many tickets sold for the Big O???

Luis_Rancagua

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Trevino Newbie

Trevino

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quote:Originally posted by Daniel

43k according to Corus (I think).

If the Impact sell out the 55,800 seats, they'll add the 3k extra seats from the Grey Cup, and try to beat the Manic's record of 58,500.

The extra seats were added today. I purchased 4 of them by phone, but they are now available on admission.ca

It probably means they are expecting to sell out.

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Cyrus Newbie

Cyrus

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quote:Originally posted by CanadianSwede

Not to get off topic but any idea how much it would cost to fix the roof or is it just an impractical idea?

The existing, not up to standard roof cost $26 million in 1998. So you can expect a proper, hard roof to cost significantly more.

Is it practical to do this for a couple of Als games and a handful of Impact games each year, max? Well, this is the Big Owe, stranger things have happened.

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Duane Rollins1555362254 Newbie

Duane Rollins1555362254

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quote:Originally posted by Cyrus

The existing, not up to standard roof cost $26 million in 1998. So you can expect a proper, hard roof to cost significantly more.

Is it practical to do this for a couple of Als games and a handful of Impact games each year, max? Well, this is the Big Owe, stranger things have happened.

I think Montreal should go for the Summer Games again. That would amuse me (and, oddly, inspire me. I like it when Montreal has gumption and balls. By my observation the city has lost a bit of that edge the past couple decades. And we're all lesser for it.)

But anyway...

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Luis_Rancagua Newbie

Luis_Rancagua

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It's quite possible that according to this article that the Impact are hoping to sell 50,000 tickets so far for the Wednesday's game.

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Big Impact

Soccer fans expected to flock in droves to the "Big O" for the Montreal Impact's CONCACAF quarter-final match.

Last Updated: Sunday, February 22, 2009

by John F. Molinaro, CBC Sports

The Canadiens may have fallen on hard times lately, but another sports franchise that calls Montreal home is flying high.

The Montreal Impact are in the quarter-finals the CONCACAF Champions League and preparing to host Mexico's Santos Laguna Wednesday at Olympic Stadium (CBC Bold, CBCSports.ca, 8 p.m. ET) in the opener of a two-game playoff, the biggest game in the team's history.

The Impact normally play at the outdoor Saputo Stadium, but the cold and snowy weather that Montreal routinely sees during February forced the team to move the game under the roof of the Olympic Stadium.

The "Big O"

Competing in the United Soccer League First Division, the Impact routinely sell out the 13,000-seat Saputo Stadium and lead the USL-1 in attendance but the team is expecting as many as 50,000 fans to pass through the turnstiles on Wednesday.

"There's a lot of buzz in the city. For myself, as someone who has been around soccer in this city for over 20 years, this will be a very historic moment," Nick De Santis, general manager of the Impact, told CBCSports.ca.

Not since the days of the defunct North American Soccer League, when the Montreal Manic drew 58,000 fans for a playoff game against the Chicago Sting in 1981, has the city been swept up in soccer fever quite like this.

The Impact's strong showing in the first round of the Champions League — where it posted impressive victories over Trinidadian champions Joe Public FC and Olimpia of Honduras, and earned a credible draw with Mexico's Atlante — has led to new interest in the club from Montreal sports fans.

"We've opened people's eyes with our success in this tournament and that was a big step for us because we've convinced people that we can play at a high level and we've seen the response," De Santis said.

"We've sold 45,000 tickets and we're hoping to draw over 50,000 fans, and that just goes to show the interest of people that are just catching on to us now."

It's not just the fans who are excited; the Impact players themselves are just as energized.

"The response from our fans and the city has been great. It hasn't gone unnoticed by the players," said Impact goalkeeper Matt Jordan. "People are very excited that soccer is being played in our city this time of the year. I think it's going to be a great atmosphere."

Montreal a hotbed of soccer

Jordan, who joined the Impact in 2007 after a brief time playing in Denmark and stints with three Major League Soccer clubs, believes that the level of interest and attendance for Wednesday's game proves that Montreal is a burgeoning soccer hotbed.

"Obviously, playing in front of a big crowd like that gives an indication about how this city feels about soccer. I've said it all along, and I've played abroad in Europe and in three cities in MLS over a 10-year period: I really feel that Montreal has the potential to be one of the top soccer markets in North America," Jordan said.

Playing in front of a big crowd like the one expected for Wednesday's game is far from the norm for the Impact, but Jordan said he and his teammates aren't nervous about it.

"I've played in front of some big crowds. When I played in Denmark we participated in the UEFA Cup so there were some big crowds there," he said.

"When I played in Dallas, we used to play some big games against Mexican first division teams, and we would get big crowds for those games. There were a lot of big games during my time in MLS, so it's always fun to play in that type of setting."

Of course, there's no guarantee that the game will take place as scheduled.

The Impact needed approval from three government agencies that regulate building safety in order to hold the match at the Olympic Stadium, which is normally closed during the winter.

If snow or ice accumulates on the roof before the game, it will be rescheduled for Thursday, but De Santis believes Mother Nature will co-operate.

"We're not worried about the weather," said the Impact GM.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2009/02/22/f-soccer-montreal-impact.html

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