(Breaking my moratorium on blogging until exams are done to post this):
Alen Markaryan, known mostly to people as a Besiktas capo from the VBS.tv episode “King of Carsi” made for Fifa 11, has been shot by another Carsi capo, just one day before the match against Galatasaray.
This is not about a war between the group, apparently there was some tension between the men about statements Alen heard the member saying about Markaryan himself as well as Carsi. Alen set up a meeting between the two, whereupon he was shot.
Alen is expected to survive the shooting, while the shooter is currently in jail.
So far Besiktas fans have said that once released, he will never be allowed to attend a Besiktas match home or away, and even be exiled from the Besiktas neighbourhood in Istanbul, not through orders of the police, but through the actions of Carsi members if they see him there.
Excuse the lack of creativity in the title, it’s tough to really put the effort in on a subject like this. The MLS cup took place in front of a raucous-ish sold-out BMO Field. The Rapids beat FCD 2-1, and they now have a star over their neat little logo. Thanks for winning me money, boys.
It’s been a long time tradition that during the MLS Cup festivities, a supporter’s group from the host city organizes and hosts the MLS Supporter’s Summit. They organize some pub nights, dudes who wear red scarves hang out with those in yellow ones, all that lovely stuff. “Polow da” Don Garber also sits down to have a speech about the future of the league, does a Q&a, and then the game actually begins.
In this year’s Q&A, a Toronto fellow, blogger and son of the Dominion, bgnewf, got one of the biggest displays of celebration seen in Toronto in the past 3 years, and surprise surprise, it was about Montreal. In true Newfoundlander fashion, he feels it necessary to decide things for other people in a place he doesn’t live(Get it?). It was not a question, but his comment to the Don was in order to foster “(ce que les Anglais appellent un …)darbys” in this league, was that he wanted a commitment from MLS to guarantee First Kick 2012 to be IMFC-TFC in the Big O *cue cheers* “Can you make that happen Commissioner?!”. It seems like he was dying to use that speech since they cut it in the final draft of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, it was that stirring. That’s where the credits would roll, if it weren’t for everyone’s favourite pessimistic Gulls blogger.
So bgnewf, this is for you:
MLS would be wise to not pander to the wishes of TFC fans, like you think it should. Fist Kick 2012 should not take place in the Big O, no matter what. Hell, it shouldn’t even be against TFC. There, I said it.
First off, what makes you think people want to start the new chapter of Montreal sport, by shambling into the same place their grandfathers did decades ago? Maybe it’d be a smoother move to play the match in the recently reno’d, IMFC-owned-and-built stadium right next door? Maybe.
Maybe we, as home fans, would like to be able to plan out something to commemorate the occasion without having to deal with the lovably backward Big O rules, in which the RIO denies the use of anything more than the tiniest flag, allows the use of drums and a megaphone beforehand and then revokes the permission(and then re-allows) to bring drums and megaphones at the gate without notice? Your poorly thought out comment deserved just as long as a message you received(“Maybe.”), because it accurately reflects just how important your comment was.
Does it also make sense for the business side of IMFC(Now that I got your attention Mr. Saputo)? To attach the image of the old news and often hated Big O with his new business venture? To lose the guaranteed atmosphere of the first TFC match and season opener, by lumping them together? Not really.
It’s nice you, and apparently the majority of Toronto fans are in love with that for some(most likely selfish) reason but I hope I’m not the only one who will be vocal in the opposition of First Kick 2012 taking place in the Big O. I love it and all, but that’s not how to ring in the new beginnings of our clubs proud history.
IMFC has finally done it, they turned the Baby Gull “Academy” into an actual academy! No longer is it a glorified reserve team with a PDF file instead of a website, the Montreal Impact Academy now comprises 4 different teams: U21, U16, U15, and U14, as well as continuing to administer several soccer clinics across the province every year. The U21 will play in the CSL, while the players in the U16, U15 and U14 will be a part of the Sport-Études program administered by the Gulls. Those three teams will take part in the Quebec Elite Soccer League, which is a semi pro senior league. The highschool chosen for the IMFC sport-études program is E.S. Édouard-Montpetit, a mere stones-throw away from Saputo Stadium.
Now for those of you not quite sure about what exactly a sport-études program is, it’s a system where a student splits time between intensive training for their particular sport while also participating in an essentials-only academic program, giving them more time to focus on their sport of choice, such as archery, swimming and diving, among other things. It’s a policy that was apparently implemented by the French after they repeatedly blew at Olympic competitions, and is most likely also in place within other countries within the Francophonie.
This is what I had always pictured when talking about soccer academies within Canada, as it’s pretty well impossible to get North American parents to allow their children to focus on sports only. it is quite a positive step for Québec Soccer as a whole, with several series of players being brought up to play and learn the philosophy of Impact de Montréal Football Club.
Though not explicitly mentioned, the IMFC reserves seem to be caught in the lurch for this season, as now the team playing in the CSL will be U21 only. I do not see any particular measure for them being put in place, as once 2012 arrives, so will a reserve league that will host the Backup Gulls.
I look forward to seeing the results of these programs in the near future.
Quite a bit has happened, or will happen this week concerning quotas/structures/pretty much anything else involving Canadian players and the development of them. Since I’m a lazy fuck, I won’t spend much time actually talking about them, instead I’ll just kinda slap them together and describe it as a portrait of this time in Canadian Soccer.
The legendary Canadian/Montreal/Quebec striker Alex Bunbury’s Canadian born son Teal Bunbury has chosen to play for the Yanks. Young Yankee Bunbury, followed the path of Asmir Begovic, in stating numerous times in the media that Canada was his country, and in no uncertain terms, his future team. Over time Yankee Bunbury went from “Canadian Player Focusing on Pro Career”, to “Canadian Player Uncertain About Team” to the increasingly more prevalent “Canadian Player Who Wants Success”. The player equivalent to a glory-hunting fan, the CPWWS is a person who wants to cash in on established success of a team, rather than working with a team to cement a future of winning. Aside from being the player equivalent of a leech, I have to say, he does not leave this situation with the more widespread hate associated with Owen and Asmir. Yankee Bunbury, is an actual immediate blood member of his team, and has never played many games under our country’s “unique snowflake” of a federation crest.
He also has spent much of his life in the land of the Hoveround Scooting obese, so in the end while sour at his decision(mostly because I, on numerous occasions, stated to friend-of-the-site-and-pair-of-shoe-winning Seb that he would play for Canada) I can not fault him for his choice, though I still hope he ends up a bust. What a paradox.
Now that the major negative has been wrote about, let’s focus on the lesser evil, the possible elimination of the Canadian quota in MLS. It has not been said for certain that it will be completely scrapped, it is definite it will be altered, and I doubt that means with the addition of Vancouver, two teams will be required to field more Canadians on their team. I find this soft treatment of Canadian teams to be pitiful. I personally wish the quota would be upped, performance of the team be damned.
Contrasting this, tomorrow there will be an announcement that “tomorrow, the face of soccer in Quebec will change drastically”. This centres around the announcement of the Gulls tomorrow of something they’ve had in the works for a while now. Nothing concrete is available to talk about, but considering the fact they have been in talks with the Fédération de Soccer du Québec and have mentioned changes to the IMFC “Academy”, one can see where this is going.
Look for the definitive announcement tomorrow.
Tying in nicely to this little “Academy” news, MLS has upped the cap on possible “homegrown” players a team can sign, from 4, to infinity. There is now no cap on how many academy players you can sign. Let the games begin.
And in a stunning turn of events, the CSA has grown a scruncheon, to use a bit of Newfinese. No new Canadian teams will be sanctioned to play in US leagues for the coming year. A possible defensive tactic to keep USL PRO from worming into the Canadian game with their planned Canadian division, the CSA is aiming to once and for all cut US involvement in Canadian development to a minimum, hopefully leading to an actual Canadian league. Good for them, maybe now next time a player defects to another country, they’ll call them out on being cocks.
Stay tuned to D&G in the coming days to see an interview with a valuable player! And follow D&G on facebook, esti!
For the little happening that occurred after the second leg of the semi-final in Carolina. In the end it can’t surprise many, though I think most are surprised at the delayed reaction. Among those whose wrists have been thoroughly slapped, Adam Braz, Hicham Aaboubou, Richard Pelletier and friend of the site, Nick DeSantis.
It seemed almost as if they got away with that and then, BAM! Taken by surprise, like being attacked by Buddhist monks on PCP.
Another odd point about the fines/suspenisons is the seemingly haphazard way they reached the penalties placed on the Gulls involved. Some get a longer suspension with a smaller fine, while the others get a bigger fine, with a small imposed vacation. Only person I smile at seeing the punishment is Nick DeSantis.
Maybe it’s time to grow up before your brother Joey figures out how ill-suited for the job you are?
Stay tuned to D&G for an interview with a very valuable player in the coming days! We’ll see what he has to think about these punishments, among other things.
Now, everyone who knows me (or spends a few seconds perusing this heap I call a blog) knows where I stand on supporters outside of Montreal.
They all blow, excepting a few groups in a few places.
So, I can’t describe to you this strange mix of giddy pleasure and sadness (mostly giddy pleasure) that comes from finding something out last night. The harbinger of my greatest mix of strange emotions and feelings since I turned 12 is quite a surprising one.
The Vancouver Whitecaps 2011 MLS seating plan.
Behold its true form and weep!
Pretty nondescript in itself, true. Sure, there are oddities like corner seats having cheaper prices than end seats, as well as the fact they chose a pretty garish all-pastel colour palette to describe their seats… it’s like, hello Vancouver, please step out of the 80′s!
But, to get to the true meat and potatoes of the reasons why I have this bittersweet (mostly sweet) feeling about such an image takes some explaining.
For one, there is no designated supporters section. Hilarious right? It turns out there is one, they just made the conscious decision not to advertise that fact, which to all my readers in the 514(/438(haha, get a real area code)/450(poor you guys)/819(look it up)) knows is such an amazing idea. God knows there was never any trouble before they started to explicitly advertise and slap disclaimers on our supporter’s section here in Montreal… This mystery section where the true hardcore will be going “fucking mental” are the first 6 rows of sections 251, 252, and 253, which is roughly 275~ seats.
Now you get the quotation marks.
But wait dear readers, turns out that’s just the supporter’s section presale that current Southsiders have access to before tickets go on sale to the general market… the whole southside is the supporter’s section!
At 494$, plus taxes and service charges, of course. When the cheapest seats(assumed to be the supporters section) were advertised as 319$. I really love how this is unfolding.
Their anguish sustains me.
Reactions out west to this have been mixed, and when I say mixed, I mean hilarious. Many on the Southsiders board are expressing shock, outrage, and all those other beautiful triggers for the beauty that is Schadenfreude. Also peppered in with those lovely things, are gems such as these:
Do you seriously think you have the exclusive right on being a soccer fan? That NOBODY else in this city can figure out how to stand, and wave flags, and sing behind the goal? Come First Kick there will be thousands of people behind the goal. You want to know why the tickets behind the net are $500? Because that’s where everyone who wants to be a “true” soccer fan will want to sit. The demand will be massive. The Southside was right when they said that Vancouver was a market ripe for the taking. Unfortunately you may also have been part of the reason why you’ve been priced out of your “rightful” place.
Yes, planning on creating the hotspot for atmosphere amid 560 dollar seats is going to be a surefire way to garner any type of support whatsoever. That’s in no way a terrible idea at all, as it’s not necessarily a bad thing that Supporter’s in Vancouver have to pay the most out of any MLS supporter.
Not bad from a Montreal perspective of course.
Thanks Vancouver, for setting the bar low for Montreal.
It appears that IMFC has bought out adspace on the boards of the New York Islander’s Nassau Coliseum. The ads for tonight’s Habs-Islanders tilt will be about the Gulls 2012 transition to MLS. It seems that the Impact have figured out easier(and cheaper) ways to advertise during Canadiens games. They really were thinking outside the box on this one, my hat goes off to them.
A pretty creative move by IMFC, but a really sad and unfortunate for the Islanders…
This is the first reason to watch the Habs since they honoured the 2009 USL Champions before a game against the Atlanta Thrashers.
So, like I mentioned, it’s all over for this year. No more stadiums humming with the songs of the crowd(and the wail of their kids as they figure out it isn’t a Habs game). No more standing packed in the terrace, shoulder to shoulder with the same people from last week, and the faces of new friends. Not even one more Sunday afternoon game against Miami FC or NSC Minnesota.
Who would have ever thought I’d wish for even one more second of that special kind of hell, paying good money and eschewing homework/sleep/fun/anything to watch your team struggle to tie what may be some of the worst teams in the sport, in a bare standing section, just because there’s some sort of deep and at times, regrettable, connection to your city and your team.
I won’t even try to imitate a journalist this time. I can’t say anything that hasn’t already been covered by the news outlet vultures, coming for their usual once a season feast on the Impact, only to say they cover the team, and pass the clock until Anthony Calvillo gets a boo-boo, Kostistyn does something immoral or GSP farts. Anyone wishing for some decent coverage of the Gulls can look to CKAC for the soundbites of the players and staff, or 12eJoueur to see the hilarity that happens when people interview they’ve never seen before.
Instead, I’ll report on what happened during the time off the press conference, just outside and for just as long.
Many dedicated fans showed up early(hey, 9:00 am is early for me) that day, outside the stadium just for a glimpse of their beloved players. Sure, it wasn’t the best day to be standing around outside, but seeing those few privileged enough to represent the team was all it took to make the day worthwhile.
Every now and then a player would come or go from the stadium to their car(everything from VW Bugs to modified 300′s with tinted windows and vanity plates), and in between have a quick conversation that ranged from Rocco’s (ultimately and unfortunately true) “it doesn’t look good for next year” to a certain goaltender’s “dream of having the entire section filled with you guys. I dream of having the whole section on fire behind me, honest”.
That is what makes any time spent for the club worthwhile, that is a true fan experience. Not being given thundersticks or free face painting on entry, recognition we didn’t ask for, from people who don’t ask for our support. The symbiotic relationship between players of a team, and their fans, is what truly makes IMFC a real club. Through thick and thin, MLS or not, they will always be there for us, and we will always be there for them, as long as there exists one last breath in either person, they will give it their all for us, and we will likewise do the same.
That is what will make this offseason so tough, but that is also what gives us something to look forward to.
Well, it’s a bit delayed but forgive me for lacking enthusiasm in writing this post. This past weekend the Gulls’ 2010 season was ended by none other than our friends the Caramilks. Once again IMFC played the first leg of the series at home and once again they left Montreal victorious.
That’s pretty much where the similarities ended. Montreal’s first leg was not nearly as dominant as what people had come to expect from the defending champions as the game only finished 1-0, on a day where it should have finished differently. Many chances were left unfulfilled for the Blue Boys during the game, so much so that it left me feeling like luck was just something that was not on their side, except for one particular event where a Carolina goal was called(perhaps rightly?) offside. Keep that in mind.
Overall the match would be what I would characterize as disappointing, interspersed with scenes of good play. One of the few bright spots on the field that night, as well as one of the bright spots one the field, was captured once again by Franck, of Ballonrond/the Offside fame:
Beautiful goal, really.
In terms of what happened off the field, one can say it was a truly special night, as well as a possible hint at things to come…
(2:00 in)
Courtesy of Ballonrondmtl and F10MTL once again.
The away leg of the series was truly a different affair.
Not watched live in a modern stadium in front of many thousands of people, but instead on a buffering internet stream showing a disinterested crowd in Cary, North Carolina. A match where, once again, offsides would play a part in the game, though this time to an even greater extent.
The match was a very lethargic affair in which the Montreal side were not as dynamic and decisive as usual. Carolina played quite a good counter, effectively neutralising Marc Dos Santos’ game plan. The Railhawks took advantage of this, implementing their own tactics, and being paid off with a goal late in the match, tying up the aggregate score at 1-1. Just as many people started to accept the possibility of extra time in Carolina, the Caramilks scored what appeared to be quite an offside goal. Ultimately, no clear decision can be reached due to the characteristic NASL/USL terrible camerawork, but see for yourself:
He may or not be offside. It is very possible that there exists a man faster than Usain Bolt, who is toiling away in the USSF D-2. Possible but very improbable, is the consensus around these parts. If you want you can see it as justice for Heinemann, who’s goal was called offsides in the first leg. Or you can call it robbery, stating either that the goal was offsides, or that Heinemann should not have even started the match, due to card accumulation, as was pointed out by Dos Santos.
Near the end of the match, Montreal’s favourite trigger to the question “Who?”, Marco Terminesi came on to bolster the Gulls attack. As he walked onto the field I said that he would be the guy to score the goal for us. Merely a few minutes later, in the 92nd minute of 94 minutes of stoppage time, Terminesi picked up a rebounded ball in front of a gaping, empty Railhawks net, putting the aggregate score at 2-2, forcing extra time between the Caramilks and seemingly re-invigorated Impact.
As the overjoyed Terminesi ran to celebrate with his team, the raised flag of the linesman was noticed, much to his(and his city’s) dismay. People are torn on whether or not he was indeed offside, but the majority of people seem to be in the “goal-was-good/can’t-tell-a-thing-from-the-video” camp than in the “wasn’t-good/can’t-tell-a-thing-from-the-video” camp.
Once again, decide for yourselves:
Further discussion/visual breakdowns of the Terminesi goal can be found here on Impactsoccer.com
Now you can go the easy route and blame the referees for the loss, whereas I personally choose to focus squarely on the team itself. You cannot leave crucial points in your season to be decided by others. You must constantly do Whatever It Takes to ensure your own success on the field. If the referee gifts a team 4 goals, you must be able to score 5, that’s how it is. For a team widely regarded as the Kings of D2 and with only one year left in the “small pond”, I am quite shocked they only have 3 stars to their name.
A team can not be a dominant force since the early 90′s, and only have 3 league successes to show for it. Even if they left their D2 era with 5 stars, thats on the low side of the acceptable expectations for a team that is the team in the league. Now it is clear that 5 stars are not possible, but at least there can still be 4.
Look for a series of irregular (and most likely bitterly written) series of posts this off season, soft scoops, as well as hopefully another two interviews conducted by everyone’s favourite negative, know-nothing Gulls blogger!
And for my many millions of fans, try to keep from filling up my inboxes on various sites, I know you love my insight, but I’m far too popular and important to bother acknowledging your existence!
