Montreal Impact Tryouts
Montreal Impact is a Canadian professional soccer franchise based in Montreal, Canada. The team competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference.
Montreal Impact Youth Development Academy
The Montreal Impact Academy is the cornerstone for the development of players wishing to reach the Montreal Impact’s MLS team. After its first years of existence, the development structure aims to produce not only squad players, but also starters for the first team that will have a positive impact on the game.
Beyond the athletic structure, the Academy is also a living environment, with passion and emotions, where efforts, perseverance, friendship and humility are experienced daily to strengthen our club’s identity. These values are key to growing within this club.
Montreal Impact Academy: Sports Program
The sporting structure includes around 180 young players wearing the Montreal Impact colors with four Academy teams (U23, U17, U15 and U14) and five Pre-Academy teams (U9 to U13). This youth development setup has a single goal: developing starters for the first team.
The student-athlete joining the sport-études program at the Montreal Impact Academy gets:
- High-level soccer training with qualified educators.
- Access to the Montreal Impact infrastructure.
- Teaching of the club’s sporting and social values.
- Full development divided into four aspects: physical, psychological, technical and tactical.
- A 12-month sports training and coaching program (including rest periods).
- Access to the club’s athletic specialists: fitness coach, mental coach, doctor, invited coaches, nutritionists.
- Different meetings with established professionals.
A full team
A staff of over 20 people works full time in the technical, administrative, medical, physical preparation and mental preparation fields to ensure daily progress for the Academy players.
A regular and individualized medical follow-up
Medical follow-up is an essential part of the development of a young player. The Academy provides individualized follow-up of their players to prevent injuries and put them in the best possible physical conditions. Follow-up is covered by a head therapist, an assistant therapist and two fitness coaches. Our therapists attend every training session and game, and they discuss with coaches and players on a daily basis to detect any problem, prevent and treat injuries and provide advice to stay healthy.
A head physician and a general practitioner are also available for the players.
Regular reviews
Biomechanical evaluations and fitness tests are conducted on every player throughout the year. Three times per year, 50-point individual reviews are done with the coach, the player and his parents.
For more information on the sports program, you can click here.
Montreal Impact Academy: School Program
The sport-etudes program is unique in North America and specific to Quebec. It’s an essential tool to manage the schedule of a standard academic path while pursuing high-level athletic development. This program is recognized and sanctioned by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur and by the Quebec Soccer Federation.
The program has a strict rule: prioritize academic success before athletic success.
Players have to maintain a good academic record, with a minimum general average of 75% and at least 65% in mathematics and French.
During his formation, the student-athlete will have access to:
- an education adapted to the training and competition schedule;
- a system in place for classes missed because of sporting activities;
- a supervised and mandatory study period every day;
- recovery classes at the request of the coach, teacher, parent or student.
Schedule and holidays
From Monday to Friday, class ends at 12:25pm and are followed by training. The schedule is adapted during exam periods and according to the league calendar. All players have two weeks off for the winter holidays and three weeks in the summer, between July and the beginning of August. During summer, training sessions at Centre Nutrilait are held from 1:30pm to 3pm for the U14s and U15s, and from 3pm to 5pm for the U17s and U23s.
Montreal Impact High schools
The Impact has partnerships with five different high schools in Montreal:
- École secondaire Édouard-Montpetit (French)
- École secondaire Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry (French)
- Collège de Montréal (French, private)
- Lester B. Pearson High School (English)
- John Rennie High School (English)
Our partner schools have a lot of experience in sport-etudes programs as well as great proximity by their pedagogical team with players for personalized follow-ups, for class and exam recovery and tutoring programs. There is also close contact between the schools and the Academy, in order to monitor the player’s behavior, along with communication with parents.
Our student-athletes from our five partner schools are grouped in classes with other athletes registered in sport-etudes programs.
Cegep
The Academy strongly encourages its players to continue their academic path by going to a sports-etudes alliance cegep. This allows the player to tailor his course schedule around training hours. For more information: www.alliancesportetudes.ca.
University
Some universities like UQAM and Université de Montréal/HEC recognize the status of Athletic Excellence and allow us to keep some flexibility for the classes and exams, according to the schedules.
Transportation
The morning transportation to go to school and to come back from practice at the end of the day is the family’s responsibility.
Transportation between the school and the training centre is offered by an Academy shuttle for the Édouard-Montpetit and Lester B. Pearson high schools. For Antoine-de-St-Exupéry high school, the school provides the shuttle service. For players going to John Rennie High School, there is no shuttle; public transport must be used when possible.
Please note that the players are training from April to November at Centre Nutrilait, located at 411 avenue Létourneux, Montreal.
From November to April, they train at Complexe sportif Marie-Victorin, located at 7000 boulevard Maurice-Duplessis, Montreal.
Outside of school hours, players have to get to the training sessions on their own.
Costs
With a cost of admission more for symbolic purposes, the Impact looks to confirm the seriousness of the candidates who wish to partake in the Academy’s developmental structure. At the Montreal Impact Academy, talent should take precedence over financial resources. Consequently, upon completion of grade 8, the student-athlete will participate in the program free of charge, upon confirmation of his capabilities and commitment to the Montreal Impact after the first two years of high school.
Grade 7: $700
Grade 8: $500
From grade 9 onwards: free
Government aid is available for players in high school (whose parents are Quebec residents, for a 10-month period).
Further information on the school program can be found by clicking here.
Montreal Impact Pre-Academy
The Pre-Academy is:
- A developmental program for young soccer players from ages 8 through 12.
- For young players living in the Montreal and surrounding areas (20 km around Stade Saputo).
- A complete season from mid-April to March.
- Two to four training sessions (and one game) per week, depending on the age group.
- 80 players, five teams: U9, U10, U11, U12, U13.
Objectives
- Share the bases of the philosophy and playing identity developed through the Montreal Impact Academy.
- Develop young athletes that are responsible and blooming citizens in their social life, able to transmit the sport’s fundamental values: willingness to work, surpass oneself, respect the rules and respect of others.
Competitions
- Summer games are played mostly at the Centre Nutrilait, during the weekend.
Technical supervision
- A Pre-Academy technical coordinator and a Pre-Academy administrative coordinator
- One head coach and one assistant coach per team
- A goalkeeper coach for all teams
Every Montreal Impact Pre-Academy player will receive:
- A high-level soccer training with qualified coaches
- Access to a professional club structure
- Education of social and sports values advocated by the club in each of its teams
- Integral development of the four facets: physical, psychological, technical and tactical
- Training and sporting management programmed over 12 months (including rest periods)
- Access to and monitoring by the club’s athletic specialists: the Montreal Impact Academy coaches.
Registration cost (per year)
- U8-U9-U10: $2000
- U11-U12: $2350
Possibility to pay with a deposit at registration and three more payments in the three following months.
For more information – Receipt for Children’s fitness tax credit
These costs include:
- Field rental + registrations to leagues and tournaments
- Full Adidas training kit
- Pre-Academy coaches’ salaries
Several activities will also be offered during the season to players and parents.
Further information on the Pre-Academy for Montréal Impact can be found by clicking here.
Montreal Impact The Academy Institute
Throughout the year, our Academy members are involved in activities outside of soccer as part of the Academy Institute, which will be used to help our players in their development, their personal culture and as a tool to become a professional player.
For example, players will participate in various courses that will help them with their personal development as a player. This could include dance and zumba classes to work on their coordination and to remove them from their comfort zone, as well as classes on hygiene, communication, the history of the club, soccer culture or even information sessions with top-level athletes from other disciplines.
The goal of these classes is to make young Montreal Impact players more autonomous in their preparation. The Institute adapts itself to age groups, with classes on a better understanding of one’s self and the club’s history for the U14 and U15 groups, and an emphasis on invisible preparation for the U17 and U23 teams.
For more information on the Academy Institute, please click here.
Montreal Impact Recruitment and Detection Camps
The Montreal Impact Academy has two main methods of recruitment, which include open detection camps and screening calls.
- Open detection camps
These tryouts are organized by the Montreal Impact and open to all the players (foreign players also). The training sessions help the technical staff identify players that fit the Academy’s profile. The tryouts are carried out over a few stages. Registration can only be done online on the Academy’s website (registration fee to pay online).
- Screening cells
Our coaches and scouts are present throughout the province, and our vast network of contacts within the Montreal Impact organization allows for the club to be on the lookout for players in all regions and all competitions in Quebec. When discovered, a player is offered a chance to play with one of the Academy teams, or offered a chance to attend one of the detection camps.
For more information on upcoming detection camps, please click here.
Montreal Impact Foreign Players
Tryouts are open to foreigners but the club will not be responsible for any fees such as flights, accommodations, food, nor will the club issue any official letter of invitation.
If a foreign player is selected following the tryouts, he must also ensure that he can bear the various costs related to his stay: tuition fees (optional, only if the player wishes to continue his studies) for foreigners (approximately $9 500 a year), the required student visa (roughly $1 500), lodging, meals and transportation (about $10 000 a year). The club will not be responsible for any of these expenses.
To further contact the Montreal Academy staff, please click here.
The Montreal Impact (French: Impact de Montréal) are a Canadian professional soccer team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Impact competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The team began play in 2012 as an expansion team of the league, being the league’s third Canadian club, and replaced the North American Soccer League team of the same name.
In 2015, the Impact became the second MLS club, and first Canadian club, to advance to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League, in its current name since 2008, where they finished runners-up in the two-game aggregate goal series against Club América. The Impact won the Canadian Championship in 2013, 2014 and 2019. The club plays its home games at Saputo Stadium and is coached by Thierry Henry.
Montreal Impact Recruitment Trials
At the time of this writing, there is no official publishing’s on Montreal Impact trials. Please come back at a later date while we monitor this club or click here to visit their official news section.
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Montreal Impact History
As of late 2007, there had been a lot of talk about the possibility of Impact moving to Major League Soccer (MLS). Construction of an expandable Saputo Stadium indicates a desire by the group for a higher level of competition in North America. They had a three-year deal that expired in 2009, but Toronto FC made it clear that they were open to bringing Montreal Impact into MLS in March 2008.
Chairman Joey Saputo met with former Liverpool F.C. co-owner and former Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett to discuss the possibility of acquiring a franchise together. Since then, MLS has been looking to add two new teams for the 2011 season, and Montreal has been identified as one of the possible locations. Commissioner Don Garber rejected the group’s MLS franchise bid on November 22, 2008. After Vancouver’s successful bid in March 2009, Impact GM Nick De Santis said that he anticipated chairman Saputo to pursue and realize his vision of Montreal as an MLS team at some point.
An expansion team might begin play in 2011, according to the Montreal Gazette’s May 16, 2009, report on Garber and Saputo’s conversations. As of May 7, 2010, Garber and Saputo announced that Major League Soccer’s Montreal Impact would be the league’s 19th team, with games expected to begin in 2012. The Saputo family owns the MLS franchise. A five-year deal with the Bank of Montreal to become the Montreal Impact’s principal sponsor and jersey sponsor in the MLS was announced on June 14, 2011.
The Montreal Impact made their MLS debut against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on March 10, 2012. With its first home game against the Chicago Fire at Olympic Stadium a week later, the team broke the previous record for professional soccer crowd attendance in Montreal set in 1981 during Montreal Manic’s home game against the Chicago Sting, with 58,912 fans (58,542).
On May 12, 2012, the Impact played the Los Angeles Galaxy in front of a record-setting audience of 60,860 fans, making it the most-watched professional soccer match in Canada. Montreal was 7th in the Eastern Conference in 2012 regular season with 12 wins, 16 defeats, and 6 ties. The Montreal Impact won the 2013 Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic on February 23, 2013, defeating Columbus Crew 1–0 in the final. As an expansion team in MLS, Montreal Impact won the 2013 Canadian Championship on May 29, their second major trophy in the club’s history. Montreal’s eighth Voyageurs Cup came as a result of this triumph. They had a regular-season record of 14 victories, 13 defeats, and seven ties in 2013.
The Montreal Impact secured the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed and so qualified for the playoffs for the first time. Houston Dynamo eliminated Montreal in the knockout round of the playoffs. Montreal became the first MLS expansion team to qualify for the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League after winning the 2013 Canadian Championship. The Impact defeated Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship final on June 4, 2014, to win the Voyageurs Cup for the second time in three years. As a result of their 6–18–10 (W-L-D) record in the 2014 season, Montreal Impact were the poorest MLS team, finishing bottom in the Eastern Conference and overall. Montreal Impact have shifted their attention to the CONCACAF Champions League regional tournament after missing out on a berth in the playoffs in the 2014–15 season. They won their group and advanced to the knockout stage.
2015 CONCACAF Champions League
For the first time in CONCACAF Champions League knockout stage history, Montreal became the first Canadian team and only the second MLS team (after Seattle Sounders FC in 2013) to eliminate a Liga MX side. It was a two-legged tie in Pachuca and a one-legged tie at home in the return leg that gave the Impact a bye. A 1–1 draw in Estadio Azteca and a 4–2 defeat in front of 61,004 people at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal became Montreal the first Canadian team to reach the CONCACAF Champions League Final.
As a result of their third-place performance in the Eastern Conference in the 2015 MLS regular season, the Impact of Montreal qualified for the postseason. With Didier Drogba’s arrival, the team was able to score 11 goals in his first eleven outings for the company. After beating Toronto FC 3–0 in the conference quarterfinals, Montreal will face Columbus Crew in a two-game conference semi-final series.
Team Name and Logo
Montreal announced its goal to “retain its name and global team image” when it came to keeping the name “Impact.” On August 6, 2011, before the NASL Montreal Impact and NSC Minnesota Stars game, the team’s official logo was unveiled.
Impact’s logo consists of a shield with a stylized fleur-de-lis, four silver stars, and the wordmark “Impact.” On the flag of Quebec, the fleur-de-lis is prominently displayed as a symbol of Québécois culture, making it a widely recognized symbol of French heritage. The four stars on Montreal’s coat of arms signify the city’s four founding communities. The team’s motto, “Tous Pour Gagner,” is inscribed at the top of the shield. ‘Passion. Fierté. Authenticité,’ the Impact’s new tagline, was introduced in 2020. For “Passion. Pride. Authenticity” in French.
Club Culture
Supporters Group
Ultras Montréal, or UM02, is Impact’s primary fan club. It was formed in 2002. Away games against New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union are followed by the Impact’s supporters. To keep track of the Impact’s away games, the group 127 Montréal was founded in 2011. This organization was established in 2011 to serve as an intermediary between the Montreal Impact and its various fan groups, as well as to raise awareness of the impact fan experience and provide financial assistance for various initiatives.
Founded in 2015 and stationed in section 114 of Saputo Stadium during Montreal’s home games, 1642 MTL is a club of fans dedicated to the team.
Mascot
The official mascot of the Montreal Impact is Tac-Tik the dog.
The North Star
1642MTL supporters purchased a 1,576-pound (715-kilogram) bell called the North Star as a goal and victory celebration. On October 25, 2015, Montreal mayor Denis Coderre sounded the horn twice during the Impact’s triumph over Toronto FC in a 2-0 win for the city. As a result, many well-known Montrealers, including local radio personalities Tony Marinaro and Jean-Charles Lajoie, Canadian soccer player Josée Bélanger, and mixed martial artist Georges St-Pierre have been invited to ring the bell.
Rivalries
Due to long-standing animosities between the two largest Canadian cities, Toronto FC is the most formidable foe for the Montreal Impact. Professional soccer teams from Montreal and Toronto have faced off against one another for almost 40 years. Throughout the numerous leagues they have competed in, such as the Canadian Soccer League and A-League, the rivalry between Toronto and Montreal has remained strong, culminating in the recent Canadian Championships. Since both teams entered the MLS, the rivalry has heated up, and the games have earned the moniker “401 Derby” for their status as a Canadian soccer classic.
The following table details the history of official soccer matches between Montreal and Toronto in MLS and the Canadian Championship, up to the most recent derby on October 21, 2018. (Montreal Impact 2-0 Toronto FC).
Montreal Impact Stadium
Situated in the city’s second division, Saputo Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium with a natural grass playing surface that was erected in 2008 for the Impact in anticipation of Montreal’s transfer to Major League Soccer. It was announced that the Quebec government would provide $23 million in funding for the expansion of the stadium to over 20,000 seats and the construction of a synthetic grass training field next door.
When the extension of Saputo Stadium was announced on July 17, 2011, the Impact had hoped that it would be completed in time for the start of the 2012 MLS season. First six home games were held at nearby Olympic Stadium as a result (5 MLS Regular Season, 1 Canadian Championship). On June 16, 2012, the Impact eventually played their first MLS game at Saputo Stadium, defeating Seattle 4-1.
Saputo Stadium serves as the Impact’s primary home, while Olympic Stadium is also used for special events (e.g. the team’s home opener, the MLS All-Star Game, playoff games, or fall/winter international games) that need a higher capacity or more ideal playing conditions.
City of Montreal, Canada
Second only to Toronto in Canada in terms of population, Montreal is also the most populated city in the province of Quebec. Ville-Marie, or “City of Mary,” was founded in 1642 and is named after Mount Royal, the city’s triple-peaked summit. Île Bizard is the largest of several minor islands that make up the city of Montreal, which was named after the island in the same way as the city. Ottawa is 196 kilometers (122 miles) to the east of the city, while Quebec City, the province’s capital, is 258 kilometers (160 miles) to the south-west.
There were 1,704,694 people in the city of Montreal in 2016, and 1,942,247 people in the urban agglomeration, which includes all of Montreal’s surrounding municipalities. At a population of 4,098,247, it was one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. In 2016, 49.8 percent of the population spoke French as their first language at home, while English was spoken by 22.8 percent and other languages by 18.3 percent (multi-language responses were excluded from these figures). 65.7 percent spoke French at home compared to 15.3 percent of those in the greater Montreal Census Metropolitan Area who spoke English. Over 59% of Montrealers are fluent in both English and French, making it one of the most multilingual cities in Quebec and Canada. Second only to Paris, Montreal is the world’s largest primarily French spoken metropolis.
Geography
Quebec’s largest city, Montreal, is located in the province’s southwest. Located at the junction of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa rivers, the city occupies the majority of Montreal’s island home. The Saint Lawrence Seaway, which connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, has its southern terminus at Montreal’s port. The Saint Lawrence River to the south and the Rivière des Prairies to the north define the city of Montreal. Mount Royal, the island’s most prominent landmark, stands at 232 m (761 ft) above sea level and serves as the city’s name.
To the north is Laval, to the south are the cities of Longueuil, Saint-Lambert, Brossard, and other municipalities, to the east is Repentigny, and finally, to the west are the cities of the West Island and Montreal. Located in the heart of Montreal, Westmount, Montreal West, Hampstead, Côte Saint-Luc, the Town of Mount Royal, and the francophone enclave Montreal East are all encircled by Montreal.
Climate | Weather
Both McGill University and the Montréal-Trudeau airport are located in a humid continental climate (Köppen climatic classification: Dfb) that is warm in the summer months and hot in the winter months. In July, daily maximum temperatures range from 26 to 27 degrees Celsius (79 to 81 degrees Fahrenheit), with several days reaching as high as 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). In the early and late summer, cold fronts can bring crisp, dry, and windy weather.
During the winter months, temperatures can fall as low as 10.5 to 9 °C (13.1 to 15.8 °F) on a daily basis. Rain falls on an average of four days per month in January and February when temperatures reach above freezing. Snow usually covers some or all of the bare ground from the first or second week of December through the last week of March on average. Even if the air temperature never drops below 30 °C (22 °F) throughout the year, the wind chill often causes exposed skin to think it does.
In spring and fall, the weather is pleasant yet prone to sudden temperature shifts. Late-season heat waves and “Indian summers” are probable, as could a drought. Snow storms can occur in November, March, and less frequently in April, depending on the year. The snow usually melts away from late April to the end of October in Montreal.
Rarely, snow will occur in the months of early to mid-October and early to mid-May. At Dorval International Airport, the lowest temperature ever recorded was 37.8 °C (36 °F) on January 15, 1957, and the highest temperature ever recorded was 37.6 °C (99.7 °F) on August 1, 1975. At 7 a.m. on January 10, 1859, a lowest temperature of 42 °C (44 °F) was reported before contemporary weather record keeping (which dates back to 1871 for McGill). During the winter months, an average of 210 cm (83 in) of snowfall falls, bringing the total annual precipitation to roughly 1,000 mm (39 in). Tropical storms and their remnants, which can bring torrential rain and gales, are typical during the late spring, summer, and early fall timeframe. Montreal experiences an average of 2,050 hours of sunshine per year, with summer being the driest season, but with thunderstorms accounting for the majority of the precipitation.
Montreal, Canada Lifestyle
