FC Montreal’s first season starts Saturday against an important rival, Toronto FC’s second team.
However, it won’t be the first time USL comes to Montreal. Some members of the club have great memories of the league and some of its teams that are still part of USL.
“The level is good, it’s serious and teams are professional,” said ex-Impact player and assistant coach Mauro Biello. “When I was there, there were always five or six teams with a level that was good enough to compete with MLS.”
“There is a clear progression in the league, with 24 teams and an affiliation with MLS,” explains FC Montreal’s assistant coach and ex-Impact player Simon Gatti. “It will be interesting this year to see the level of play.”
The USL went trough many phases in its history. Previously named APSL, A-League or USL Pro, the league changed many times before looking like the 2015 edition.
The first Impact rivalries actually started when the team was playing in this league.
“I lived all my youth near Toronto. Theorically, before coming to Montreal, my team was the Toronto Lynx with Paul Stalteri,” said Gatti. If you are Canadian, you know the Toronto-Montreal rivalry will be there, no matter what sport you follow.”
But if there is a team that Biello and Gatti remember well when talking about rivalries, it’s the Rochester Rhinos. The Rhinos were founded in 1996 and have always given the Impact a hard time, both on and off the field.
“The rivalry will be there for sure,” said Gatti. “ When I signed with the Impact, all the veterans told me: This is THE game! When we played in Rochester, fans had many ways to intimidate us near the sidelines. We need to share this message with our players to let them know about this rivalry.”
If the first game of the season is against a good rival in Toronto FC II, the second will be against an even bigger one versus Rochester, on April 11. With these two huge games at home against important rivals, FC Montreal will make its debut in USL.
March 28 will be a double header at the Olympic Stadium. The ticket for the MLS game between the Impact and Orlando at 4 p.m. will be needed to gain access to the FC Montreal game at 12:30pm.
