As Orlando City SC visited Montreal for its game against the Impact, another guest was in town: none other than MLS commissioner Don Garber visited the metropolis and took this opportunity to meet TV and radio broadcasts, as well as local media during half-time. About fifty reporters were awaiting him for a scrum during which various subjects were treated: refereeing, the MLS All-star game, player development, Canada’s elimination from the 2018 World Cup qualifying phase…
Impact supporters are certainly eager to see changes on the refereeing side. On this matter, Mr. Garber recognized referees need better backing: “We are the only league along with the Premier League that has an organization working to make it better in which the league is involved, in partnership with the Canadian Soccer Association and US Soccer. Assessment, training and evaluation is pretty new, it’s only a couple of years old. We are also a leading league with a handful in Europe to work on video review. We want perfection, but it’s not a perfect process. We try to get better to the extent that we will be able to, use technology to insure we can correct when an official makes a mistake.”
When the commissioner’s visit was confirmed, the rumour mill said that he was visiting the city to confirm Montreal would host the 2017 MLS All-star game. Was the rumour true? “We made a commitment to Montreal that we will bring an All-star game to the city,” confirmed Don Garber. “The team will do it when they think it’s time for them. There is a lot more work the Impact wants to do with the corporate community and the fans to make the team more popular. When Joey Saputo and his staff are ready, we will make it happen. In the meantime, next year, for the 375th anniversary of the city, we will be looking to do something with the club and get involved in the celebrations.”
Finally, how did he find the support in the city towards the Impact? “We have here an enormously passionate fan base,” lauded the commissioner. “Stade Saputo is a great stadium. But mostly, it’s this. I have travelled a lot in many cities in the league and I have never had a scrum with 50 reporters. This is a great market.”
Eight sellouts so far in this MLS season certainly back up his point.
