Impact will retool and rebrand next season
Uncertain season brings with it significant personnel shifts, possible name change
Following one of the most challenging seasons a professional sports franchise has endured, Kevin Gilmore believes there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
“We just don’t know how long the tunnel is,” the Impact president said. “That’s the issue.”
All Major League Soccer franchises played a 23-game regular-season schedule in 2020, albeit in different venues. For the Impact, that meant only its opener, against New England at Olympic Stadium, was played in front of what could be deemed a normal-sized crowd.
The team played only three late-summer games at Saputo Stadium, its outdoor home venue, before 250 spectators, the maximum permitted by the Quebec government. The remainder of its home schedule was based in Harrison, N.J.
While Gilmore’s confident a 2021 season will occur — MLS commissioner Don Garber is targeting an early to mid-march opening — he’s not sure what that will entail, where, for the Impact.
While Gilmore hopes matches can be played at Saputo Stadium, before fans, “I don’t really see a change forthcoming,” he said. What remains to be determined, he added, is whether protocols will be in place allowing the Impact to operate under a modified quarantine. That would permit training sessions in Montreal after playing road games in the United States.
Gilmore obviously doesn’t want to see the club forced into playing in New Jersey again. His fingers remain crossed and he’s understandably optimistic.
“We have to prepare for 2021 and a return to quasi-normal or normal,” he stated.
What seems virtually certain is things are about to change.
For starters, the Impact confirmed it will be rebranding and could be known as Montreal FC by the time the season starts. And, while there’s no reason to believe Thierry Henry won’t remain the club’s manager, speculation has surfaced about the former Arsenal striker being a contender, along with Patrick Vieira, to return to the Premier League side if Mikel Arteta is fired.
While the Impact doesn’t comment on rumours, Gilmore said speculation will always swirl around Henry.
“Like everyone else who comes through this club, they’ll end up somewhere else,” Gilmore said. “You don’t want a player to start his career with you and retire. If that’s the case, you haven’t done your job.
“We all know Thierry has ambitions. He wants to take what he did on the pitch and translate it into his managerial career. We know this is where he is now and where his focus is now. Everybody in this organization will end up somewhere else. I’m not concerned about rumours in any shape or form popping up.”
Like in any year, significant personnel changes will occur.
The Impact announced in late November a number of players wouldn’t return when their contracts expire on Dec. 31, while others wouldn’t have their options exercised by the club. That will lead to the departures of captain Jukka Raitala, fellow defender Rod Fanni, midfielder Jorge Corrales and Quebec striker Anthony Jackson-hamel, among others.
The Impact has only six players older than 25 on its roster and the youth movement continued on Dec. 17 when the team acquired 22-year-old midfielder Djordje Mihailovic from the Chicago Fire and added centre back Kamal Miller, 23, from Austin FC.
But the most significant departure revolves around forward Bojan Krkic.
The Impact didn’t exercise its option on the Spanish international. That would have guaranteed him the status of designated player along with a significant salary increase. Instead, the organization left the door open to a potential return provided he agreed to a new contract.
But that seems unlikely. Bojan left Canada following the Impact’s season and didn’t participate in Montreal’s Champions League game against CD Olimpia on Dec. 15, probably ending his association with the team.
While the Impact went 8-13-2 in 2020, that was good enough to be included in the Eastern Conference’s expanded playoff pool — the first time Montreal has qualified since 2016. Gilmore believes the future looks bright under sporting director Olivier Renard, with his proven track record of scouring the globe to unearth talent.
“The idea was to set a new course,” Gilmore said. “It’s not like we’re almost there and need to turn a corner.
“We’ve kind of pointed things in the right direction.”
What seems certain to remain unchanged is the team’s bottom line. Two years ago, owner Joey Saputo revealed the Impact’s losses were between $11 million and $12 million annually. With no gate revenue in 2020, Saputo would have had to dig deeper into his pocket to pay the bills.
“It’s a significant financial hit,” Gilmore said. “I’m not going to sugar coat it.”
The idea was to set a new course ... it's not like we're almost there and need to turn a corner.