The individual lists from all 5 participants can be found here.
After compiling the lists put forward by the 4 participants and myself, here are the "official" (Am I getting ahead of myself here!?) TOP 10 MOMENTS IN MONTREAL IMPACT HISTORY :
10) Montreal Impact domination of the Canadian club scene, winning 7 straight Voyageurs cups between 2002-2008
Although not a "single" moment, it would be almost impossible to overlook the firm grasp the Impact had on the Voyageurs Cup since the competition was created by the Canadian Soccer supporters group, the Voyageurs.
9) The Impact face-off against Bordeaux of France's Ligue 1 and storied Argentinian Club River Plate in the summer of 2009, easily the 2 greatest clubs ever faced by Montreal
8) The Impact being set up as a non-profit organization in 2002, thus allowing it to flourish into the successful and respected club we know today.
The club declared bankruptcy during the 2001 season when the then-owners were Ionian. Administered until the end of the season by Joey Saputo, the club rose from its ashes in 2002, set up as a non-profit organization owned by the Quebec government, Hydro-Quebec and Saputo.
7) Impact Montréal FC draws CD Olimpia 1-1 at Stade Saputo to qualify for the Quarter-finals of 2008/2009 Concacaf Champions League, the biggest achievement in Canadian club soccer history.
It was cold, windy and rainy on October 21st 2008, the stadium was more then half-empty but section 114 was packed and in full voice. An awesome first half goal by Roberto Brown was enough for the draw to put the Impact in the Quarter-Finals, a feat many believed impossible just a few weeks prior.
(Highlights and post-game celebrations begin at 2:53)
6) 2009 USL-1 Championship
The first all-Canadian USL-1 final saw the Impact win their 3rd title 6-3 on aggregate. It also marked Mauro Biello's last game as a player in an Impact uniform, he received a standing ovation from the sold out crowd when he was subbed in at the 81st minute. Roberto Brown was named the Championship MVP.
5) The construction and opening of Stade Saputo
When Stade Saputo was finally opened in 2008 it was a great moment in Montreal and Canadian soccer. It was the first soccer specific stadium in the country to be build with a natural grass playing surface. After only 2 years it has already hosted international matches, numerous CCL games and a Championship final.
4) 2004 A-League Championship
The Impact took its 2nd title in front of 13,648 fans crammed into the old Centre Claude Robillard. The A-League at the time was the highest level of pro soccer being played in Canada.
(locker room celebrations after the 2004 title)
3) 1994 American Professional Soccer League Championship
The Impact wins its 1st title in front of 8,169 fans at Centre Claude Robillard, beating the 2 time defending champion Colorado Foxes. In a way it was a true North American Title seeing as the APSL was the highest level of pro soccer in the United States and Canada at that time.
2) The Impact win the first edition of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship and their 7th straight Voyageurs cup by playing to a 1-1 draw against Toronto FC on July 22nd 2008 at BMO field
1) The Impact beat Santos Laguna 2-0 in front of 55,571 fans at the Olympic Stadium in the first leg of the Quarter-Finals of the 2008/2009 Concacaf Champions League
This game was without question the biggest moment in the 17 year history of the Montreal Impact, and I would also defy anybody to suggest that it was not also the greatest moment in Canadian Club soccer history. The Impact also set a record for the largest attendance ever for a Concacaf Champions League/Concacaf Champions Cup match.
Great, although I'm not sure I would put the three league championship we won in that order.
ReplyDeleteL Martin
AKA Kurosawa
Well done, hard to argue with that list.
ReplyDeleteI'm defying you. Vancouver winning the Soccer Bowl in '79 was bigger than #1. Simply put many more people in NA watched that game than the Montreal game and Vancouver did get 100,000 people out for their victory parade.
ReplyDeleteIn fact the Whitecaps in relation to Santos Laguna in World Football at the time was a much better team personnel-wise. If fact those top tier NASL teams closer in par with English First Division (now called the Premier League) teams than anything in NA right now.
Hey Anonymous, that might all be well an true. But does any of it have to do with a top ten list of MONTREAL IMPACT MOMENTS?????
ReplyDeleteAlex, the statement "I would also defy anybody to suggest that it was not also the greatest moment in Canadian Club soccer history. " in the first sentence. Hyperbole much?
ReplyDeleteYou want to do a top 10 canadian club soccer history, or a Whitecaps top 10, go ahead and do one. But this thing here is for the Montreal Impact.
ReplyDeleteTrue Jeremy, but the author did state that "I would also defy anybody to suggest that it was not also the greatest moment in Canadian Club soccer history." so I had to call him out on that statement.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the anon poster. Steve's statement is clear enough, and the comment is legit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the defiance and for reading!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Vancouver winning the 1979 Soccer bowl was a really big moment, but in my opinion the international flavor of this game as well as the Impact being HUGE underdogs and coming out on top in front of a record crowd for this competition makes it #1.
As for comparing the top tier teams in the old NASL to EPL teams, are you really serious?? ( not trying to be an a-hole, I'm seriously asking)
I apologize, I did not remember Steve's line when I read your comment!
ReplyDeleteSteven, you should take a look at the top tier NASL teams (Vancouver, Cosmos, Tampa Bay) talent of that era and will notice that they were close to the old English First Division teams (I would say they would have won the first division but certainly wouldn't have been relegated) in talent. That and the old First Division was nowhere close to the EPL is now (complete lack of foreign talent).
ReplyDeleteHell, Vancouver had a young Peter Beardsley and Bruce Grobelaar backing up and eventually starting on the Whitecaps. MLS and USL have never had that type of talent coming off the bench or playing regularly. Compared to MLS and USL, the top NASL teams were leagues ahead in talent.
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