After a year of strong fan support at Saputo Stadium, the Montreal Impact is anticipating a major turnout for a playoff game at Olympic Stadium.
Saputo Stadium serves as the Impact’s regular season home, but the team employs the adjacent Olympic Stadium for select games. Aside from a larger stadium—61,004 seats compared to 20,801 seats at Saputo—the enclosed environment could allow for a more raucous atmosphere.
The Impact’s players are hoping that fans will be in rare form for their next playoff matchup, which comes against Toronto on November 22 in the Eastern Conference Final. More from the Canadian Press:
While attendance is strong at the 20,801-seat Saputo Stadium, Montreal fans have turned out in large numbers a handful of times for special games at the Big O, such as their first home game in MLS in 2012 and for Champions League matches.
Impact captain Patrice Bernier says it makes a difference.
“At this stage you need the 12th player,” the midfielder from Brossard, Que., said. “The Big O is great when it’s full, but there’s still 20,000 left (to sell) and we expect the city to keep responding and make sure it’s 60,000.
“Full, loud, vibrant, so we can get the result at home.”
As of Thursday, the Impact were reporting that more than 40,000 tickets for the game against Toronto. The November 22 contest could add to an excellent year for soccer Montreal, where the sport has seen a surge in popularity at all levels.
Image courtesy Montreal Impact.