Mountreal Roundup #4

So, a bit has gone on since the last match, where the Gulls quite rightly(but somehow surprisingly) beat AC St Louis 3-0. A goal from Reda in under 20minutes, and a goal from the now returned and much loved Antonio Ribeiro mere minutes after being subbed into the match were the highlights of the night.  This late goal by Ribeiro sent quite a clear message: that he is always someone who gives it his all, and he played like a man determined to show everyone that he never should have left in the first place(We’re looking at you, DeSantis!). And as his performance shows, you cannot stop a determined soul. You could see his joy after the match as he ran up to the kop, in front of  a 3-foot high banner of his likeness to celebrate his triumphant return. Welcome back, Antonio.

It was also quite a treat to have a strong contingent of supporters come over from the fledgling ESG, to take back some ideas to support their team on the prairies, FC Edmonton. Nice guys, with quite a bit of potential. I can see good things coming from Edmonton in the future, if everything is allowed to grow.

The feather in the cap for me that night was while waiting for the ESG on Crescent Street, running into parents of AC St Louis keeper Alec Dufty. They were so genuinely nice and appreciative of the atmosphere at the game, I couldn’t even manage to smack talk these kindly oldish people. Shocking behaviour for me, I know.

To bolster our hot-and-cold offense, the Gulls signed Marco Terminesi to a contract today.  A young(ish) Canadian with an unfortunate past, Marco last scored 6 goals and got 4 assists in 700 minutes with the Thunder. Hopefully he is match fit and able to make a difference right away.

Seeing as Nick is a fan of Latino Gang movies, he lives his life according to the phrase “Blood in, Blood out”(google it) Tyler Hemming, as of today, is outta here! The much maligned, often unused midfielder was the victim of a strong midfield that he could not crack. Here’s hoping he does well in Austin(with, shudder, Sakuda.)

And all this is in anticipation of one of the bigger matches we’ll play all season, a rivalry/night game, against a team we desperately need the 6point turnaround on this season versus the Whitecaps, which takes place tomorrow night. We can expect to see Jordan in the lineup(he didn’t lie to me when I asked when he’d be back. Huzzah!), as well as a possible appearance from Terminesi, as he’s been cleared to play for us. With Jordan back in nets, I feel like we should thank Srdjan Djekanovic for all his good play this season while Our LORD and Saviour, Jordan, was on the bench. You’re a good kid, Srdj, thanks a bunch.

See you all there!

Sayonara, Bombardero!

The Gulls have just(minutes ago) announced that they were jettisoning Roberto Brown. This comes days from the opening of the transfer window, and the club reasons that he did not “live up to expectations”… While true, it’s a line applicable to all members of our strike force, as no striker has more than 2 goals(Byers) while Brown, Reda and even Sebrango have 1. Our top scorers lie in the midfield, with Donatelli(4), Placentino(2) and many others at 1 goal apiece.

Certainly, Brown was underachieving(like every Gull), but to drop one of our(arguably) more “effective” strikers, and not others(Big Pete, Eddie), before Brown, is certainly strange. Maybe if it wasn’t for the Punch-heard-round-the-World, el Bombardero would still be yet another struggling striker in blue in the upcoming game on Wednesday.

Maybe the club have already solidified things with a striker coming into town(Gerba(Zherba)?)?

Maybe this means a full time spot for Reda, and PR Mayard is coming back?

Maybe the club is just incompetently run, too.(Note the lack of question mark).

Adios Brown, have fun on the canal.

Montreal Roundup #3

Montreal played away to the dozen or so in attendance at Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester. Reda got his first goal off of a Pastel cross. The only members of the Rochester Stampede in attendance put on quite the show and came in second at their halftime hotdog eating competition(not a joke). Disappointing to lose to a rival, as always.

Another name has been added to the list of dearly departed Gulls: Stefano Pesoli. Negotiations between the club and the player broke down recently and with the transfer window soon to open up, the serviceable Italian centreback has chosen to try his luck over in Europe. Stefano, before his departure posted a letter over on impactsoccer.com, mentioning that he spent “two and a half fantastic years, perhaps the best since I [started]  playing football ” which I can certainly believe. Stefano played hard and left it all on the field. I remember being very angry with him in the first ever Gulls-Torontoshire game as I believe had he not gotten a red card, Montreal would have won(though it doesn’t matter, we won yet another Voyageurs Cup that year…). The rest of his translated letter reads:

“I started in 2008 with a suitcase and hopes to find a world and a better football in North America, and so it has been … I met a new country, a beautiful city, a society and people who were always serious and friendly with me . My heart cries writing this letter, I never thought it would end all so suddenly and especially leaving things [unfinished]. Ultras, with you we had lots of satisfaction, winning a Canada Cup, taking part in CONCACAF with great results and winning a championship last year , all unexpected and maybe the best results in the history of Impact! I’ll always be proud and [honoured]. I helped write an important piece of history with this team and no one can take that away from me! I would have liked to continue the adventure here, but sometimes in football you put aside feelings of guilt and affection for “good” money, it’s enough just to come in and go against the road together, but it was unfortunately not so… Maybe it was lack of confidence because I played little this year because of my injuries, but I can also say that when I got into camp I have always shown my worth, sacrificing and spitting blood for this shirt… [Things] could be done differently, but sometimes fate brings you back home with the same case but with some championship titles in there’… Despite everything, I want to thank the company for all he has done for me over the years, thank the staff and my teammates that I will miss you very much and fans who have always supported and helped us even in the most difficult times. I want to thank my partner and I ‘was near this Canadian adventure and I hope that our future will be’ as good and ‘been there… Montreal thanks for everything, who knows’ if we meet again in a few years ….

with affection

Stefano Pesoli”

It’s very unfortunate to lose a player like Stefano, who certainly gave us everything he had and more, and it’s unfortunate that such a strong and dedicated player is cursed with multiple injuries, as it really leaves us wondering what could have been, had they stayed healthy. The Gulls will certainly be weaker for having lost Stefano, both the ever-weakening defense(Joqueviel, Pesoli, Aaboubou(returning next game?)) but also the heart of the team will have suffered a blow. Stefano was truly a wonderful player, both on and off the field. His dedication to the fans is demonstrated both by the fact he himself left this letter to the fans on IS.com but also in his actions when talking with UM02 members and small children alike.

He will always be missed.

Turning to a somewhat related piece of IMFC news, Montreal has entered talks with one Antonio Ribeiro, even though Nick De Santis has gone on record saying he was not a good player in his previous stay with us . It would be nice to see Nick eat crow, but I don’t really see why we would need a defensive mid, as we’re actually quite strong in the mid, while continuing to be weak up front and now with Pesoli’s loss, weak in the back.

It’s nice that the team has gone on record to say “we are actively searching for a central defender” but slightly troubling that they have not gone on record saying they need a striker. If it came down to only signing a striker or CB this transfer window, I say get a guaranteed striker. I can live with a crack in our defensive foundation, and put the games in the competent hands of Jordan and Srdjan, while also counting on a goal or so a game, rather than filling the hole at CB, and scoring nothing.

Hopefully the Gulls are not affected by the loss of Pesoli and play inspired away against St Louis Saturday and home against the Caramilks this coming Wednesday.

I, on the other hand, am going to hedge my bets by going to the upcoming Baby Gulls game this Sunday, to see them destroy( I assume) the St. Catharine Wolves by a score of (I assume) 4-1. That is, if I don’t melt before the game.

Also, we might see the return of Pierre- Rudolph Mayard to the flock, as he was not listed as a player or benchwarmer in the Battery’s recent 3-0 USOC loss. His loan was set to end at the end of July, but perhaps his recent success in Charleston, coupled with our dire need for offense has sped up his return?