When chaos ensues and structures crumble.
Rewritten Article:
Utter defeat echoed through the chilly Montreal air as fans stormed out of Saputo Stadium on a dismal, stormy evening. At 34 minutes, a disgruntled fan decisively approached the empty presidential seat, the Bleu-blanc-noir down 3-0 to their rivals on home turf.
From our vantage point, we couldn't catch the heated exchange that unfolded between the fan and Montreal Impact president Gabriel Gervais. But the fan's stern face, the president's serious demeanor, and the evident frustration told the story.
The Vancouver Whitecaps manhandled the Montreal Impact on May 17, 2025, ending the match with a crushing 6-1 score. It was the lowest ebb in a catastrophic season for the Impact, a season where even the staunchest fan is losing faith.
Section 1642, the war cry sector, resounded with emptiness. The stands were nearly deserted, with a few hardy souls clinging to their seats, drenched in rain and discouragement.
"We feel powerless," Samuel Piette conceded at a press conference.
"I apologize for this abysmal result," Marco Donadel shared his remorse.
"The entire locker room understands that you deserve better," Nathan Saliba promised.
Donadel's Fateful Wait
The opening minutes suggested a different narrative. Montreal had most of the ball possession in the early stages of the game. Dawid Bugaj launched a couple of enticing crosses, and one of them nearly found its mark when Giacomo Vrioni, though slightly offside, breached the goal line at the 7th minute.
The tide turned in a flash, with a swift Toronto FC counterattack at the 14th minute that silenced the Montreal crowd with the first goal of the day, courtesy of Tyrese Spicer.
Just minutes later, Joel Waterman fouled a Toronto player, foiling a golden opportunity for the visitors, and received a red card, leaving the Impact to play a man down for the next 70 minutes.
It was a moment of hesitation that Marco Donadel now regrets, as in his own words, "It's my fault for waiting...I thought we could continue to play that way."
Given the circumstances, it would have been a daunting task to defend with just ten men against eleven for the majority of the match. As Donadel himself admitted, keeping the scores down was a challenge in itself.
At the 30th minute, it was 2-0, as Federico Bernardeschi found the back of the net.
Three minutes later, it was 3-0, again thanks to Bernardeschi. The boos rained down at the halftime whistle.
At the 55th minute, despite Montreal's strategic adjustments, it was 4-0, yet again by Bernardeschi.
"Optimism is hard to find," they say.
The high point of the match for the Montreal faithful was Vrioni's 4-1 goal at the 64th minute, thanks to a beautiful pass from Luca Petrasso. It was Vrioni's third goal in five games, a glimmer of hope in a dismal season. But the celebrations were short-lived, with Canadian Theo Corbeanu scoring the 5-1 just two minutes later. At the 91st minute, he added another for the 6-1.
In itself, the defeat was just another blow in a season full of setbacks. But the manner of the loss, against this rival, stung the hardest. Like a house of cards crumbling into dust.
Fan morale was at an all-time low. By the end of the match, goalkeeper Sebastian Breza was scolding defender Dante Sealy, who responded by turning his back on Breza. Tempers were flaring, and the air was thick with frustration.
"Optimism is hard to come by at the moment," Piette acknowledged. "But there's a silver lining, in that this is only one match, and we have the chance to redeem ourselves in the Canadian Championship on Tuesday. We must stay together, continue to work, and that's all we can do."
For the players, undoubtedly. But the sense of unequal competition in MLS is growing, and the organization's sporting director will have to answer to the fans. Like the one who confronted Gabriel Gervais in the stands that cold, disheartening evening.
On the rise
Giacomo Vrioni
On a day where failure was the norm for the Montreal Impact, Giacomo Vrioni showcased resilience. His unwavering spirit was a solitary point of hope in a deluge of disappointment.
On the decline
Joel Waterman
This is the second consecutive match where Waterman struggled. His mistake cost the match for his team, a fact that the fans clearly indicated when they voted him as the "Air Transat Star of the Match" - the press box couldn't help but chuckle at the irony.
"Despite the fan's discontentment with the sports performance of the Montreal Impact, showcased by the incident at the presidential seat, there seemed a glimmer of hope in the arts sector, where Giacomo Vrioni, the team's rising star, continuously demonstrated resilience."
"On the contrary, Joel Waterman, who has been on a downward trend, failed to live up to expectations in the football arena, resulting in costly mistakes that fueled the fans' frustration."
