I went to Canada’s last World Cup warm-up against Ireland in Montreal, and I was lucky to snag a ticket through The Voyageurs supporters group. Since I live in the Toronto area, I would need to make my way to Montreal on the morning of the match. This was the first match I attended in Stade Saputo, and now I have been to matches in all three Canadian MLS grounds (BMO Field, BC Place, Stade Saputo). I have my first impressions of the stadium, as well as what was going on in and around the match.
Using the Montreal Metro, I hop off Viau station and make my way with the crowd of people to the stadium with the toilet bowl of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in the horizon. Further along the path, Stade Saputo comes into view. Now I had some preconceived notions about Stade Saputo, as I would imagine that the stadium and its concourses would be a bit bare-bones and lacking of any character. In some ways, Stade Saputo surprised me in some ways.
Walking through the Stade Saputo concourse felt like going to an outdoor patio with many string lights hung around the area. It certainly felt different to walking through a concrete jail block that BMO Field can feel sometimes. The concourses were wide with a lot of space to move around, and the concourses only felt tight around the concession stands. Also, the pre-game attractions were inside the concourses themselves (instead of outside the stadium like at BMO Field).
I walk out of the concourse and into the stadium proper. Stade Saputo always had this look of an unfinished English Championship stadium, and now that I am here, I can confirm that it does feel that way. I was in the supporters section in section 132, which is general admission (which really needs to be a thing at BMO Field) with bench seating. The only issue with the bench seating is that people sometimes stand on the benches while watching the match which obfuscates the view of the near goal. Also, with general admission, if you need to go to the concourse for any reason, be prepared to have your spot taken my someone else.
There was an away section of Irish fans, as well as a spattering of away fans around the stadium, but thankfully the stadium attendance was overwhelmingly supporting Canada and decked out in red. This was a sold-out match and it was great to see mostly Canada supporters at a Canada match in Canada for a change. There was an electricity in the air probably owing to the World Cup starting next week. As for the supporters section itself, I would not absolutely say that the section was in full voice, though there some good moments with the chants. I noticed the capos were having some megaphone issues in the first half, and the chants from the bottom of the section were not travelling well to the upper half of the section to pick up the chanting.
There were some other tidbits worth mentioning while I was at this match. Undoubtedly, the biggest cheers in the stadium were when the Stade Saputo staff would show other athletes watching the match in the stadium. There were a few Montreal Canadiens players in attendance, as well as Canadian Women’s Hockey great Marie-Philip Poulin. Also, when Canada scored their goal through an own goal from Ireland, the stadium DJ played “Sucks to Be You” by Prozzak, which is a Canadian music act that I have not thought about in at least 25 years.
Despite the disappointing 1-1 draw at the end, I had a good time at the match. I was excited to get to watch a match in a new city, check out the stadium, and see what the vibe would be like in Montreal for a matchday. This was basically my World Cup outing, as I know I would not want to pay those outrageous ticket prices to go to a World Cup match. This was a fun night out, and I am eternally grateful.
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