Montreal Area CPL Team

[Impactsupporter]

2 hours ago, fmfranck said:

Who knows, maybe CEPSUM wouldn't be open to having a professional team setup there.

Although I like CEPSUM as it is an intimate stadium,  it is heavily used during the fall season by the Carabins (football and men's and women's soccer teams) so scheduling in Sept and Oct will pose more of a challenge for a CPL Montreal team should they play there.

2 hours ago, fmfranck said:

I really don't want to go to the proposed stadium location in Laval. For north shore residents, its sort of a hassle too, as it isn't close to any highways as well. 

Agreed on that point, as I went to some Lavel Cometes(women's team) games and  it takes a 30 min bus ride from Metro Cartier to Bois de Boulogne stadium.  (and a half hour walk from the stadium to de la Concorde metro station).  Parc Cartier (near the Cartier metro station) is too small and can't really be expanded.  Is there not some land near the Montmorency Metro station to put up some sort of modular stadium.  (Place Bell for hockey - Laval Rocket - is convenient as it is located nest to said station).

 

Just a thought.

[fmfranck]

La PLC à Montréal : une annonce bientôt?

Exciting news from Bunbury.

• Apparently, he's putting some final touches on the consortium that he's putting together to bring a club to the greater Montréal area.
• He has the backing of some very professional and "business-orientated" people.
• He said he would be the majority shareholder in the venture.
• He says he has the league's support. 
• Apparently, Québec Soccer were initially pushing for him to develop a team in Québec city, but he was focused on bringing a team to Montréal. Québec Soccer are still totally behind his project despite him choosing Montréal, as they want to bring the CanPL to the province of Québec.
• Bunbury hasn't spoken to Joey Saputo yet, but he has the intention of doing so soon. He mentions that his project isn't to be seen as being directly opposed to the Impact, however.
  • He emphasizes that the aim of the CanPL is different to what MLS stands for. (Development and growth of Canadian players)
• No names were mentioned by Bunbury, but Marc Tougas (the journalist) paints a picture of some (french canadian) players that might be interested in the project and the appeal that it could have locally. 
• Bunbury says that the aim is to draw in crowds of 5,000 people. He's expecting between 2,000 to 3,000 season ticket holders and he says that people are already "working on it" (??).
• He says that people will be intrigued by the project (of local talent) and its up to the club to keep these people interested by delivering a good product on the field.

 

 

[fmfranck]

"Heard it through the grapevine" additional news.  The stadium was rumored to be in Laval, but that was before the announcement of the new partners that Bunbury has managed to attract. It's unclear whether they would want the stadium to be anywhere else. Bunbury had alluded that it would cost 3M $ to bring the Laval stadium to "CanPL" standards with a capacity of about 5,000 seats. 

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

A couple of random thoughts would be that this suggests that a Quebec City team isn't happening quickly and has nobody credible pushing it locally, if the Quebec soccer people were trying to steer him there, and if he really does have the wealth needed to be the majority shareholder it very much explains why he has been fronting everything, which had looked a bit strange.

[ChrisinOrleans]

10 hours ago, fmfranck said:

La PLC à Montréal : une annonce bientôt?

• No names were mentioned by Bunbury, but Marc Tougas (the journalist) paints a picture of some (french canadian) players that might be interested in the project and the appeal that it could have locally. 
• Bunbury says that the aim is to draw in crowds of 5,000 people. He's expecting between 2,000 to 3,000 season ticket holders and he says that people are already "working on it" (??)

 

 

I am going to jump to immediate conclusions and predict that this Montréal team wins the league every year from 2020 to 2025 with the following CanPL superstar line-up of true poutine loving franco-canadien talent:

Fwd: Oliver Occéan or Anthony Jackson-Hamel

Attacking Mid: David Chonière, André Hainault, Louis Béland-Goyette

Defensive Mid: Samuel Piette, Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé

Defense: Maxim Tissot, Karl Ouimette, Wandrille Lèfevre, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère

Keeper: Maxim Crépeau

...No, I will not be accepting comments or criticism based in reality at this time, and insist that I am allowed to live in the same world where this fantasy team exists for at least another few hours. 

Edited February 1, 2019 by ChrisinOrleans

[BradMack]

7 minutes ago, ChrisinOrleans said:

I am going to jump to immediate conclusions and predict that this Montréal team wins the league every year from 2020 to 2025 with the following CanPL superstar line-up of true poutine loving franco-canadien talent:

Fwd: Oliver Occéan or Anthony Jackson-Hamel

Attacking Mid: David Chonière, André Hainault, Louis Béland-Goyette

Defensive Mid: Samuel Piette, Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé

Defense: Maxim Tissot, Karl Ouimette, Wandrille Lèfevre, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère

Keeper: Maxim Crépeau

...No, I will not be accepting comments or criticism based in reality at this time, and insist that I am allowed to live in the same world where this fantasy team exists for at least another few hours. 

Hmmm.. A 38 year old Occean with Andre Hainault at attacking mid...? I like Halifax's chances against that ?

[deschamp86]

10 hours ago, ChrisinOrleans said:

I am going to jump to immediate conclusions and predict that this Montréal team wins the league every year from 2020 to 2025 with the following CanPL superstar line-up of true poutine loving franco-canadien talent:

Fwd: Oliver Occéan or Anthony Jackson-Hamel

Attacking Mid: David Chonière, André Hainault, Louis Béland-Goyette

Defensive Mid: Samuel Piette, Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé

Defense: Maxim Tissot, Karl Ouimette, Wandrille Lèfevre, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère

Keeper: Maxim Crépeau

...No, I will not be accepting comments or criticism based in reality at this time, and insist that I am allowed to live in the same world where this fantasy team exists for at least another few hours. 

Well, you probably are right about them winning the league with that lineup. However, a bit disappointed that you have Occean in there, and haven't bothered to pull Bernier out of retirement lol

[Ansem]

A team in Laval would be fantastic for PLSQ who would now have a clear path for young Quebecois into professional soccer (Montreal Impact are hardly that with no FC Montreal)

I can see why Alex insisted on Montreal region, bulk of the youth talent (untapped) is in the Montreal Metropolitain area with half the province living there. As mentioned earlier, so much talent there that hasn't been properly scouted or given a true opportunity. I think he sees it and wants to get his hands on it first. Why procrastinate on Montreal region giving Impact the time to perhaps decide to bring back FC Montreal and actually trying for real to penetrate the suburban market? From a business perspective, got to do it now, the longer you wait, the harder it will get... (looking at Surrey...)

The talent is in Montreal area so I see the logic of insisting to go there first and the Laval-Couronne Nord has about 1M people to work with.

Quebec City is a no brainer and will definately work once a team gets there, however, Quebec City can wait while Laval cannot. FC Montreal (rebranded FC Quebec) would never fly in Quebec City (not sure the CSA would let Impact do that). In the meantime, there's Dynamo de Levis in PLSQ but I don't think leaving Montreal youth talent hanging is a good idea.

I see Alex's logic

[dyslexic nam]

While I admit that I am not entirely familiar with the dynamics of culture and language in Quebec, I could also see how the establishment of a team in Montreal could (potentially) accelerate the establishment of a team in Quebec City.  The rivalries between the two areas are pretty well know and I know Habs fans who still hate the Nordiques.  If you could get something like that going in CPL - along with the ever-present QC/ON rivalries, it would be great for the league.

[Ansem]

Can't please everyone...

He thinks Laval is a terrible idea 

 

This is the reality of Montreal medias at the moment. They are very protective of Montreal Impact and a successful team trumps everything else... even developing Quebec talent since Montreal shutdown FC Montreal and still no plan to address that. At what point does developing the talent in the region (2nd biggest in the country and multicultural) so we get better at the national level ranks higher than 1 club "maybe" making the playoffs? That's my petpeeve with Montreal medias and they are the one bitching about the National team underperforming yet, 1 MLS team above everything else...kind of a contradiction. There's room for both but they won't hear it.

Both are important, don't get me wrong, but Impact isn't more important than all that talent rotting in the Montreal region.

Hope we prove them wrong.

Edited February 1, 2019 by Ansem

[Andrew W]

4 minutes ago, Ansem said:

Can't please everyone...

He thinks Laval is a terrible idea 

 

This is the reality of Montreal medias at the moment. They are very protective of Montreal Impact and a successful team trumps everything else... even developing Quebec talent since Montreal shutdown FC Montreal. At what point does developing the talent so we get better at the national level ranks higher than 1 club "maybe" making the playoffs.

Both are important, don't get me wrong, but Impact isn't more important than all that talent rotting in the Montreal region.

Hope we prove them wrong.

Does he have impact (ha!) in the market?

[Ansem]

1 minute ago, Andrew W said:

Does he have impact (ha!) in the market?

He works for the #1 radio station in the province... his reach is pretty big. Been working hard on him on Twitter to inform him about the league and show the good sides... he did make the effort though but he's unlikely to change his mind.

That's a bad article because doesn't help CPL Laval one bit and he's passing his opinion as fact... which is a huge petpeeve about his article.

Edited February 1, 2019 by Ansem

[Andrew W]

6 minutes ago, Ansem said:

He works for the #1 radio station in the province... his reach is pretty big. Been working hard on him on Twitter to inform him about the league and show the good sides... he did make the effort though but he's unlikely to change his mind.

That's a bad article because doesn't help CPL Laval one bit and he's passing his opinion as fact... which is a huge petpeeve about his article.

My French is really (really) rusty, but it seems he's saying because he believes it can't work, it won't. The affiliation part for the Impact should the CanPL establish a team in Quebec seemed a bit tone-deaf as well.

Thanks for posting it.

[fmfranck]

Filosa has always had a very pro "Impact FO" opinion. He isn't the most knowledgable or respected soccer pundit in the province, but he does have a pretty large reach. I'm always disagreeing with him on twitter. 

Edit : Reading his article now. An example of his lack of knowledge, he says that Bunbury is managing the league somehow lol. ?

Edited February 1, 2019 by fmfranck

[mpg_29]

 

[Impactsupporter]

I'll know it is official when it is actually announced.

In a couple of days??   We will see.

 

 

[xcalibre]

If Quebecois strikers are coming out of retiremne t

On 2/1/2019 at 6:04 AM, deschamp86 said:

Well, you probably are right about them winning the league with that lineup. However, a bit disappointed that you have Occean in there, and haven't bothered to pull Bernier out of retirement lol

If Quebecois strikers are coming out of retirement then Ali Gerba has to be available!

[Ansem]

3 hours ago, mpg_29 said:

 

Seems like he bested the other group bidding for Montreal.

Hoping the losing bid goes to Quebec. I'd expect Soccer Quebec selling the Montreal vs Quebec rivalry really hard to both groups

[Blackjack15]

4 hours ago, Ansem said:

Seems like he bested the other group bidding for Montreal.

Hoping the losing bid goes to Quebec. I'd expect Soccer Quebec selling the Montreal vs Quebec rivalry really hard to both groups

Wait so there's two bids in contention? The Laval (Montreal Area) and Quebec City one? 

I thought it was a similar situation like in Saskatchewan where the same owners analyzed Saskatoon and Regina and sided their interest with one (pulling the strings for one of them)

Edited April 8, 2019 by Blackjack15

[baulderdash77]

There was apparently 2 ownership groups looking at the Montreal area.  We never got much information on the 2nd group.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

That may have been similar to the monitor in Miami given it came from Duane Rollins and Saskatoon's SkSSS announcement didn't rate a mention.

Edited April 8, 2019 by BringBackTheBlizzard

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

http://northerntribune.ca/alex-bunbury-cpl-bid/

...While he didn’t go into more specifics, the timeline that Bunbury presents for his expansion bid makes it clear that he has, at minimum, a temporary stadium solution in mind (Stade Hébert, anyone?). He wants to see his Montreal vision lead to a CPL expansion side ready to play in 2020, and also indicated that some big Laval-related announcements would be coming this April...

[mpg_29]

 

[Cheeta]

One or two boss headers there.

[Ansem]