CF Montreal’s “inner turmoil is not lost on fans” as attendance at Stade Saputo has been at a steady decline in recent years, despite MLS enjoying record-breaking season ticket sales over the last two years “largely due to” Inter Miami F Lionel Messi’s arrival, according to Elias Grigoriadis of the CP. CF Montreal’s dismissal of manager Marco Donadel is the latest in a long line of coaching changes at the club. The club has had 11 permanent head coaches since joining MLS in 2012. No team in any of the five major North American sports leagues -- NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB and MLS -- has had more coaching turnover. Montreal will now “turn its attention toward finding a permanent manager, something they hope to accomplish by the FIFA World Cup break” at the end of May. Only 14,000 people attended Saturday’s home opener, and “boos were heard in the crowd at full-time.” After six games on the road to start the season, sitting at 1-5-0 in the standings, Montreal now “only has two more back-to-back matches away from Stade Saputo.” They still “may be able to salvage their season with the remaining home-field advantage,” but it “all depends on how soon a new coach arrives, and if they are the right fit for the job” (CP, 4/13).
HARD TO COMPETE: In Montreal, Jack Todd wrote a home opener “should be a sellout in a stadium as small as Stade Saputo,” but “it wasn’t.” The official attendance was 14,028, but fans who were there say the stadium was “half full at best, with fewer than 10,000 on hand” (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 4/13). CBC’s Jay Turnbull said with Montreal struggling to be “competitive for years, fan interest is waning.” The number of empty seats at this year’s home opener “was telling.” Turnbull added: “People have given up and when people give up it’s very hard to bring them back. ... The mismanagement has absolutely killed fans’ confidence and eventually the commissioner is going to have to get involved. He cannot let this continue because as we all know in sports franchises, you are as strong as your weakest link and this club is the weakest link.” Turnbull added, “The team could eventually move. CF doesn’t have Vancouver’s stadium problems, but with the MLS changing its schedule in 2027 to match European leagues, Montreal may play more home games in winter. … There are lots of cities in the US who would love to have an MLS franchise, but management says CF Montreal is in this city for the long haul” (CBC, 4/13).
STARTED WAY BACK: SPORTSNET.ca’s John Molinaro wrote the coaching carousel has “been only part of Montreal’s problems over the years.” The real issue has “been player investment -- the team has historically been one of the league’s lowest spenders.” At $11,993,946, Montreal had the cheapest payroll in MLS last year. All of this has not gone unnoticed by a fanbase that was already feeling alienated. When the Montreal Impact were rebranded Club de Foot Montreal prior to the 2021 season, supporters “weren’t shy about voicing their displeasure, feeling betrayed by the name change.” Since then, the “bad vibes of the pitch amongst irate supporters have been matched by poor results on the pitch from a club lacking in character and identity” (SPORTSNET.ca, 4/13).
