The Montreal Impact Academy tryouts for the U18 and FC Montreal teams are starting this Friday. For a one-week period, coaches from the Academy will get together and observe a few hundred players dreaming to play for the Bleu-blanc-noir.
Even if only a few are chosen to integrate the organization, some players always stand out. Last year, forward Badreddine Boulajoul and midfielder Yassine Ouakka captured the attention of the coaches and started playing for the Impact Academy.
“When they come to the detections, players can express themselves,” explained Impact U18 forward Badreddine Boulajoul. “What’s good is that many coaches are there to see the players’ qualities. There are also many exercises, so if you don’t perform in one, you can do better in the next one.”
Players go through a first selection on the first two days. After the first cuts, selected players come back for more evaluations the following day. Later, a group of players are selected to train during one full week with the Academy. The final decision on recruiting any players is then made.
From Quebec and more
The first reflex is to think that the club recruits from a good pool of players in Quebec. And it’s the case. The best players from Quebec automatically dream to play for the professional club of their province.
But if the Academy has recruited from the best players across the province, it can also claim it attracts players from all across Canada. From Burnaby, British-Columbia to White’s Lake, Nova Scotia, Calgary, Alberta or Brampton, Ontario, the best Canadian players also want to tryout. The possibility to play at a professional level in the USL or to integrate a U18 team that left its mark on the USSDA over the last two seasons is seducing for many players.
But participants are coming from even farther. This year, five players from Belgium made the trip to take part in the club’s academy tryouts, hoping to earn a spot at the same club where their national team defender Laurent Ciman plays. Four Mexicans, maybe impressed by the club’s performances in the CONCACAF Champions League, will fight the Canadian cold to try their luck as well.
On top of that, there will also be players from France, the United States, Great Britain, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Italy, Senegal, Morocco, Australia and Colombia.
The club is shining more and more on the international scene and you can see it even in the Academy tryouts.
