just to give you some context on the situation - I had posted this on another thread This podcast was hosted today by Gavino Da Falco who worked with Apple for CF Montreal games, 98.5fm radio in Montreal and now covering FC Supra on TVA Sports. He gave insights based on sources from within the club regarding the winter calendar According to this : starts at (25:30) in French MLS is increasingly frustrated with CF Montréal having to start every season on the road. If the team makes the playoffs this year, they may not even be able to host matches in Montréal, as the Olympic Stadium is currently under renovation. Looking ahead, the upcoming winter schedule (February to April) presents a major challenge: most matches cannot be played at Saputo Stadium due to weather conditions, while Olympic Stadium will remain unavailable. The league wants this situation resolved by 2028 and the club is hoping the ongoing renovations will be completed by then though that timeline appears unlikely. MLS has made it clear that it is not prepared to tolerate the current status quo until 2030 or beyond. A deadline of Fall 2028 has reportedly been set for CF Montréal to have a stadium that meets league standards. MLS has already provided its specifications which would require interior renovations estimated at $400M–$500M CAD (excluding the roof and acoustics, which are already funded). Meanwhile, the Quebec government has allocated roughly $170M for upgrades to seating, corporate suites, and locker rooms but not until 2030 or 2032. This funding is both insufficient and too delayed to meet MLS expectations. According to sources, the government has indicated that no additional funding for interior upgrades will be approved before this year’s October election, especially with the current ruling party trailing in the polls. **The next provincial budget would be in spring 2027, add procurement process and there's no way to bring the stadium to what MLS is looking for before 2030. CF Montréal has hinted that it could consider relocating if progress is not made. This may be a strategic move to pressure the government into accelerating and financing the required upgrades. However, this would likely lead to complex negotiations: the government would most likely prefer/expect the team to play all its home games at Olympic Stadium, while the club would likely want to split games between Olympic Stadium and Saputo Stadium. If the team were to play exclusively at Olympic Stadium, it could face significant financial losses similar to the Vancouver Whitecaps. At the same time, the government is being asked to significantly increase its investment to accelerate renovations for a team that would primarily use the indoor venue only during the colder months. ***Public subsidies for pro sports is highly unpopular in Quebec. This is a government who would rather let the NHL Quebec Nordiques & MLS Montreal Expos go then using public funds to save them. Unlikely Saputo pulls out a miracle with this economy.
OR........... This is Saputo's exit strategy. He's trying to make himself and his family look less like the villain when he is "forced" to sell his team. Then he can rent Stade Saputo to FC Supra
Possibly, though that'd likely be more for his kids and if they want to do that. Like you've said many times, Joey is focused on Bologna now and lives in Italy. Of course he could see it as a way to have a Bologna reserve/youth team too.........
Damn, Davies might not even play in the World Cup this time around......... Alphonso Davies confirms that he is OUT for Canada's opener vs Bosnia ❌The Canadian star also revealed that his participation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a whole is also in doubt... 😔"Let's see what happens for the second and third game, maybe if we make it out the Group… pic.twitter.com/qrR7XeASel— DAZN Canada (@DAZN_CA) June 3, 2026
CFL looking to expand to Quebec City. The site is the old home of the NHL Quebec Nordiques, downtown Quebec City. This is the same location where thr CPL club is said to expand. This means we're looking at a stadium being used by both leagues, potentially 3 leagues if the NSL also expands in the city. CFL, Quebec City investors talking $350 million stadium on Colisée site: report https://t.co/7YAevZBEMH #CFL #LCF— CFL News (@CFL_News) June 3, 2026
Or Montreal could be the site of the Canada National Training Center? MLS commissioner Don Garber is giving a press conference in Montreal after a visit to Olympic Stadium. Important to note he will be talking with CF Montreal and Canada Soccer before hand. There's two ways to see this: glass half full or glass half empty. Or ignore it (which I…— Andy Coronado (@andystake88) June 3, 2026
According to this article Plusieurs nouvelles infos sur le projet de réno de l’enceinte du stade. Notamment 4 maquettes récentes obtenues par La Presse. On peut voir des sièges plus rapprochés de l’action et des espaces premium.Québec n’a pas encore donné son go#CFMTL #polqchttps://t.co/vdRdCcd51V— Alexandre Pratt (@alexandrepratt) June 4, 2026 For a move to the Olympic Stadium to be viable for its business model, CF Montréal needs the government to commit to funding the renovations shown in the renderings. This means a rectangular configuration and premium seating areas. In newer MLS stadiums, premium seating accounts for 20% of the seats but generates 70% of ticketing revenue. A solution would be renovating the lower bowl first and work on the upper sections later which wouldn't require a closure of the stadium to have the work completed on time IF Quebec agrees to do it. However, the club said it needs an answer this summer while the government said no new funding until after the elections in November meaning that funds wouldn't be available until spring 2027. The article still talks about splitting venue, which is a tough sell. The club is asking the government to pay for 100% of the extra costs to bring it to MLS standards but won't commit to moving full time. This could be part of broader negotiations. One thing is clear...getting the venue buys them time but won't solve the structural financial issue. Unless they knock it out of the park in attendance in Stade Saputo in the spring and late summer, they will be bleeding money in the winter at Olympic Stadium. They won't draw the crowds needed when the Canadiens are playing at the same time.
It hurts to say it, but at some point the Canada staff is going to need to decide if they're better off replacing him on the roster. If he's definitely out for game one, and now questionable for games two and three.................... I get it. He's great. If he's able to come back, is he Alphonso Davies???? Is he the same player or a poor imitation....?? Canada could be eliminated before he's ready. They've NEVER won a World Cup game, and you're talking about maybe being ready for the knockout round?
It's a 26 man roster. You have three more guys than you'd have had in any pre-COVID World Cup. Much like Chris Richards, unless you know he's not going to get healthy or be ready, I really don't see why it's a terrible thing to bring him. The #23 outfield player on the team is not going to make a difference between anything.
I get it. ...............but if the guy is already out, then what is the point? A cheerleader? Alphonso Davies started how many games in the Bundesliga this year? He's had three different injuries. Its highly unlikely that he's going to be able to be Alphonso Davies. If Chris Richards becomes questionable for the group phase, I'll bet you Pochettino replaces him. If he's OUT for even one game, I expect him to be replaced. I understand there's nobody who can do what Davies can do. I understand that he's literally the only person in history to score a goal for Canada at the World cup. [Other than an own goal for and against. ] I understand there's nobody more worthy of a World Cup stage. But that's not the Alphonso Davies you're going to get.................................
Yes, if you know he's out for the whole World Cup. But that's not what we're talking about, are we? Irrelevant. What matters is his status right now, the fact that he's your best player by a mile and the fact that the roster is now so large you can carry someone hurt. Are you a doctor? I don't know that this is you. This doesn't make any sense. There's a reason Pochettino brought 5 centerbacks already; he's already got cover for Richards on the roster. You're telling me if Poch thinks he's going to miss a single game, he'd bring Tristan Blackmon or someone -- when it's super unlikely he ever plays? No. It doesn't matter because Richards is already running and jumping. But good lord, this is sportstalk radio levels of logic failure. Again, I don't know how you know this. If Marsch does know this, then you would replace him. But in a World Cup where knockouts are about a month out from now, again, what the chances the replacement even plays? So your upside of replacement is ... To have someone if you have like four injuries and are already screwed? Seriously, who makes this roster from Canada if Davies is cut? And your upside of non-replacement is ... you get Alphonso Davies back, even if only as a sub or something. Hmmmmm... Honestly, dude, your entire post reads like a clickbait article or a lead in from Skip Bayless or Colin Cowherd.
The city has never had a plan for what to do with the Olympic Stadium. It's incredibly expensive to keep from rotting, and they estimated it would cost over $1 billion to demolish it because of the amount of tonnes of concrete + being right over a metro line. Every time elections happen, they just pump more millions into temporarily 'fixing' a roof which seems to never be functional. It also doesn't have the convenience of a team like the Habs, who play right downtown. You can still get to the Olympic Stadium by metro easy enough, but it's in a dead-zone part of the city, so you won't really attract those casual/non-soccer fans on a whim. Given all that and the economy right now, I really really doubt local government would commit to doubling down on the worst run team in MLS.
Latest on Vancouver from Garber. As for his comment about Montreal, naively over optimistic about his league being able to compete with the Habs while losing key spring and summer dates. Garber says there is no new path to a solution in Vancouver with the Whitecaps. No positive updates. Remains concerned. Says there is not enough corporate commitment/opportunity. Says there is much more in Montreal. Believes a new Olympic Stadium is not comparable to Vancouver.— Gareth Wheeler (@GarethWheeler) June 4, 2026
Cyle Larin's Club future is now sorted: They've bagged the Brampton Bagsman 😎Southampton FC announced the permanent signing of Cyle Larin from RCD Mallorca, penning the CanMNT 🇨🇦 striker on a 2-year deal with a 2029 option ✍️"I really felt I wanted to continue." pic.twitter.com/ArwBe7JTOD— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 5, 2026
Canada are bringing quite a few players who have or are very recently recovered from major fitness issues. The 23rd through 26th players will be important for the Reds. Bayern Munich, Nathaniel Brown agree to personal terms per report Competition for Phonsie.
Poor performance in a 1-1 draw with Ireland. Our finishing is non existent and we don’t have enough ideas offensively Hard to be optimistic for the World Cup for Canada currently.
Article about players leaving the CPL for Ireland. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7302175/2026/06/06/canada-league-of-ireland-layne/
I'm not sure Canada under Marsch plays as well as the sum of its parts. If you're struggling to score against the Ireland, Tunisia level teams........................... Jonathan David has consistently scored for you guys since his introduction. Never went a whole bunch of games without scoring. ......................but has only scored in 1 of his last 10 starts now. With Davies being such a question mark, you need David to be David. .
That's a selective framing. The article isn't mainly about players leaving the CPL; it's about the League of Ireland becoming a gateway to Europe (up to 4 out of 10 clubs plays in UEFA competitions) for North American players, with former CPL players being one part of that trend.
Is it selective, or is it a similar reality to MLS losing players to Scandinavian leagues during its earlier days? IOW, players left the home country league for better salaries in another country? Looking at information on the web, it's quite possible for players to walk away from the CPL, and double their salary in Ireland.
Yes and no. It wasn’t solely about players leaving the CPL. But if you look at the examples given…. But fair point. I thought it was interesting info for this thread. I mostly wanted to get the link here for y’all to read, but I don’t like link dumps, so I added text. I Probably did that too quickly.