Fans and players come together

BET À DAY

After a two-year hiatus imposed by COVID-19, public training for members of CF Montreal was back on Monday night at Stade Saputo.

Several hundred supporters lined up in the stands as Wilfried Nancy led his men onto the lawn in bright sunshine.

Between practice and the autograph session, the players had a little skills contest.

We even got a visit from Dominic Oduro, a former crowd favorite who was in Montreal for his vacation. He is now an under-14 coach with the FC Charlotte Academy.

Among the crossed supporters, there were two members of the 1642 Montreal group, Sébastien Ouellet and Philippe Jean-Noël .

You may remember Sébastien, since Le Journaltalked about the season in which he attended all the team's games, traveling for all the meetings abroad.

For him, it is important to participate in this kind to send a message to the players.

“It's important to come see the players, talk to them a bit and thank them. It is fun to have contact with them. »

The Quebecer Samuel Piette was in great demand during Monday's game.

See behind the scenes

Henri Agin wore an old Impact jersey adorned with numerous signatures, but that was not the purpose of his visit.

“I want to meet all the players. I'll try to add signatures to my jersey, but I'm not here for signings, I'm here for training. 

“We always see the matches, but never the behind the scenes and how the workouts are designed. »

Olivier Houle, season subscriber for five years, admits that it's very different to see the players up close rather than from the heights of Stade Saputo.

“I missed it all the time < em>fun to meet the players, to take pictures with them, but above all you can see them up close and it's really impressive.

Star of the hour with CF Montreal, Romell Quioto signed several autographs.

Surprise

All fans surveyed said they were surprised by the performance of the team, which currently ranks fourth in the Eastern Conference.

“At the start of the year, it seemed like would be a team that was going to fight to make the playoffs and now they are fighting for first place,” mentioned Sébastien Ouellet.

Philippe Jean-Noël rightly points out that CF Montreal remains near the top despite small means.

“I am pleasantly surprised at what is happening at the moment. There are a lot of teams that have big players, we just have a great team. 

“I think they can go far, they have a connection and a chemistry that give confidence for the end of the season.

Several hundred fans lined up to have a few moments with their favorite players.

The collective

If the team is doing well, it is above all thanks to a collective effort.

“The whole team surprises me , the coach, [Kamal] Miller, the defense even if we are a team that gives up a lot of goals, admitted Sébastien Ouellet. I am still impressed by the number of goals we score.

“Mason Toye, I know he hasn’t played much but since his injury I was a bit scared, I like what I see on the pitch,” added Philippe Jean-Noël.

As for Jackie Santibanez, a native Peruvian who was present with her two children, her preference was clear.

“We especially want to meet [Romell] Quioto and all Latino players. »