Can you hear that dead hum?
That’s the sound of the buzz for the Montreal Impact in the la belle provence these days.
It’s by no fault of their own – even the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes took years to carve out a place in mainstream media that is all-Montreal Canadiens all-the-time – but since their MLS introduction last year, there has been a tumbleweed blowing across Stade Saputo’s press row.
There are, of course, the exceptions. Philippe Germain (Radio Canada) and Noel Butler (Team 990) provide good analysis on the clubs comings and goings. The Gazette checks in from time to time – usually when the Habs have an off day. But if you look around the rest of the city’s mainstream portals, you’d be hard pressed to read about the run on retirement slips the Impact have had in recent weeks (Matt Jordan, Adam Braz and Patrick Leduc have all hung up the boots.)
But, Canadian Soccer News has learned that MLS promotion machine is gearing up to give the Impact a boost next week.
MLS commissioner Don Garber will be making a stop in Montreal Apr. 5th and 6th to press some flesh and get that dead hum up to, at least, audible levels.
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Stiff photo-ops at Stade Saputo and lots of benign interviews with local press will be the order of the day. A meeting with the mayor and some preening from provincial politicians should force some faces on to the front page. And RDS, CTV, Global and CBC will all carry some kind of coverage on their channels.
But after the circus leaves town, where Montreal goes next to drum up interest is anybody’s guess.
It’s no secret that Montreal will have the toughest road of any Canadian city in convincing local media to shine a light their way. Miracles like the 50,000 people who showed up to Olympic Stadium for a Champions League game won’t happen every day and every year as the Impact prepare to kick of its season, the Montreal Canadiens will be hogging the headlines as they begin their spring assault on the Lord Stanley’s mug.
By the time that run is over, the Impact will have a small window between May and June before the CFL pre-season kicks off to hold the public’s sole attention. The rest of the time, they’ll be competing for ink against two of the country’s most entrenched and successful sports franchises.
So, how can they do it? Not a clue. But Joey Saputo was once quoted expressing his own doubts about Toronto FC in its early days.
Here’s hoping they don't resort to that.“Unless they put hockey players on the team, they're not going to get the people they think they're going to get.”