Soccer fans are eager to see the latest edition of their favourite team play, while the players are energized to show they can do even better than the previous year.
In Brazil, a home opener attracts all of the club’s supporters to the stadium for a pre-game barbecue, where the fans bang on tom-toms and dance.
“All the fans are excited. The first game is very important, it’s like a key game in the championship race,” says Zé Roberto, who made his pro debut in Brazil, his native country, before coming to the USL in 2000.
In Japan, a home opener is often preceded by a concert given by a well-known performer. There is also the traditional... wedding ceremony, where in a symbolic gesture, the union between the fans and the team is sealed for another season.
“It’s a way of showing that soccer is a like a religion,” says Masahiro Fukasawa, who played nine seasons in the Japanese J-League and will be playing his second home opener with the Impact.
Although soccer home openers are highly colourful events pretty much all around the world, Fukasawa and Zé Roberto both greatly appreciate that first game back in front of Impact fans. According to Roberto, home openers in Montreal have a special flavour.
“The excitement of the fans gives us extra energy to step on the field and do our jobs as best we can,” says Roberto. “That’s what I like about Montreal.”
In fact, in 12 seasons, the Impact has only lost a home opening game once, a 2-1 defeat to the Connecticut Wolves, on May 27, 2001.
Nevio Pizzolitto will be playing his 11th home opener with the Impact — only two fewer than the team’s leading veteran, Mauro Biello.
“A home opener is a fresh new start,” says the 29-year-old defender. “It’s exciting for us and the fans. It’s a whole new season. You can feel that energy. And you’re looking to live up to what the team has done in the past.”
Midfielder Patrick Leduc, who will be playing his 7th home opener, also loves these reunions with Montreal fans, especially after starting the season on the road.
“When I think about playing with the Impact, I think about our games in front of our own fans,” says Leduc. “It’s going to be good to be back home. In a home opener, we can feel the other team is a little bit more tentative than usual, and we love to hear the crowd cheer when we make a nice play.”
“It’s a little bit like a first date,” says Leduc. “You want to make a good first impression, you don’t want to ruin the evening. You want people to return.”
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