So, the Impact is set to take the field against European giant AC Milan tonight in a "friendly" match at Olympic Stadium. I have never been a fan of friendly/meaningless games. Sure they can be "fun" and you get to see big names and what not, but they attract a certain kind of "spectator/fan" that I find extremely annoying and arrogant. Lets call them the "one-of-my-grand-parents-was-born-in-Italy-and-I-can't-even-speak-Italian-yet-I-will-go-to-the-stadium-and-cheer-against-my-local-team" crowd (You can pretty much replace Italy with whatever country is involved with the game).
Obviously, some of the people who will be there cheering for AC Milan are genuine fans of the squad and may have been following the team for years. I've got no problem with them. It is with that second category of "fans (as I pointed out in the first paragraph)" that smugness and stupid comments will come from, to which eye-rolling will be the only proper response. They will show up with their freshly bought AC Milan jerseys and their snarky sense of superiority and make comments like:
"The Impacts really suck!! Were gonna kill them like 9-0 bro!" (Notice how they will refer to AC Milan as "we")
"My cousin said his garage league team could beat the Impact"
"Oh shit! Look up there, I didn't even know they had fans, haha heh"
Those type of game watchers and bandwagoners are a standard at pretty much every international match or friendly played in Canada involving a Canadian team. The worst part (or the best part depending on which way you look at it) is many of those same douchebags will inevitably show up at Stade Saputo in 2012, looking to show us supporters how to "really support a team like in our country bro! " and will be quick to proclaim themselves life-long Impact fans as soon as the team wins 2 games in a row. Alright, I think that's all I got for now..
Rant over. Bon match tout le monde!
LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ReplyDeleterandom people keep asking me if I'm going to tonight's game, and when I say I won't even watch it on TV they give me weird looks. My team is the Impact and I don't need AC Milan to support them!! And if DC beat them earlier I do not expect anything spectacular from them.
ReplyDelete"But you're missing out on the opportunity to see world class players" Adam Braz was once a "world class" player, haha.
"But they're the best and they're coming to town" no they're not, if they were they would be in SA right now.
Seriously, I'm still young and I expect to attend at least one World Cup, so I won't weep over missing that game.
haha heh
"broooooooo u dont know who i knowwwww"
ReplyDeletelmao great rant!
Nice one, oh so true. All of LaSalle/St-Leo will be there at the big O.
ReplyDeleteI love how you impact fans are bashing the italian community for not being estatic impact fans.
ReplyDeleteI grew up watching serie A every Sunday with my father, as have most of my friends. When you're used to watching this calliber of soccer on a weekly bassis, watching USL/NASL can honnestly be painfull. The soccer most italian montrealers are passionate about(Serie A, Champions League, Euro Cup, World Cup), makes North American soccer look like a garage league sometimes.
I know impact fans probably think i'm a jerk now but just think about it this way -->I'd like to see Habs fans support a small european hockey team if every they found themselves living in Europe. Would it be easy to watch a second rate hockey team and its players when your used to watching the best of the best in the NHL?
Is it so hard to support your local team?
ReplyDeleteMr. Anonymous...I'm italian and grew up in a similar situation as you, watching Serie A, Champions League and all the European football possible. However, I'm just as passionate about the Montreal Impact than my favourite club in Italy. It has nothing to do with quality, because of course European quality takes over, it has to do with supporting ur local team, ur city, ur provionce, ur country. I'm proud to be italian, but I;m just as proud to be born in CANADA as a MONTREALER.
ReplyDeleteSoo I agree the quality is not the same, but I think you should be proud of where your born or living and should support anything that is based in Montreal.
After all, if the Montreal Impact didn't exist, u wuldn;t be having the oppertunity to watch "your" AC Milan. So you should thank the Impact if anything.
PS: AC Milan called Montreal to see if they are available for a friendly. You should take that into consideration as well.
FORZA MONTREAL!!
@Anonymous 1:51 PM
ReplyDeleteYour habs analogy is wrong. A more proper one would be someone in a small european city, who's able to watch the best league(NHL) on TV, like you do with Serie A. Then you ask if they'd still support the local side...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6LW3uy5H5I
You tell me. Just because it isn't the best league in the world, does not mean that you can't watch it. North Americans have some sense of entitlement that exists no where else in the world. It's not about supporting the best, it's about supporting YOUR City, YOUR Team, Montreal.
Dude, i'm really down with your article, this is exactly what it is there is nothing more to add.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Thanks for the comments guys!
ReplyDelete@ 1:51pm
"C'est merveilleux d'être meprisé si nous savons que dans le fond , c'est nous qui avons raison"
I think most has been said in response to 1:51, but your theory does not explain why there is support for Serie C and 3rd divisions in Europe even though the level is as "bad" as our leagues here... local support, a feeling of belonging. People don't go to Impact games because they think it's the best soccer in the world!
ReplyDeleteTo anon to made the comment about moving to Europe and watching a low level ice hockey team.
ReplyDeleteI once supported an NHL team, but now I live in Europe and I follow my third division ice hockey team home and away. Better yet, my town only has a 7th division football team, but yet I watch them, because they are my local team.
Holly crap Steve!
ReplyDeleteI was there and i felt exactly the same. I guess it runs in the family ;)
It was ridiculous to see all those "douchebag" haters in the crowd. Why are canadians/montrealers so self-loathing?!
Your brother, see you soon
I'm a Milan and Impact supporter til I die, and this article is SPOT ON! "BRO MA WHO'S DEE IMPACT BRO!?!?!" You bunch of fughesi wops that I deal with everyday in RDP or St-Leo don't know dick all about soccer and only watch WC or the Euros, you can all lick my balls because when the Impact make the MLS and land a old star like Del Piero or Pippo Inzaghi, you'll all be the first ones with season tickets, KILL YOURSELVES or better yet, get a book that's called "SOCCER/FOOTBALL 101."
ReplyDelete