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?
