Montréal has several professional sports teams, including MLS (or Major League Soccer); so, what is it like attending a CF Montréal game? How’s the quality of soccer, the atmosphere, stadium and prices? We try attending a sporting event in each major city we travel to and since we’d never been to a professional soccer game before it was time to attend an MLS game and watch the CF Montréal (formerly Montréal Impact) play.
The Game
I remember that Montréal Impact used to be good, but when we were booking tickets, I looked and the CF Montréal were one of the lowest ranked teams in the MLS. And they were playing New England Revolution, who were ranked number 3 at the time. The World Cup had just finished and we had soccer fever, but unfortunately there were no world cuppers on CF Montréal. Still, hopefully the game would be good and they'd surprise us.
The game started slowly but then New England got into a rhythm and ended up going into half up 2-0. We were tired, and I had a few too many beers so we contemplated leaving early. But shortly after half Montréal scored, and then by the 60th minute, it was all tied, 2-2. This would be the final score of the game and it was a nail biter... good thing we stuck around. Despite being of a lower quality than the World Cup that just ended, the game was surprisingly entertaining. It was fast paced and the players on both sides played hard and well. All in all, it was a good soccer match.
The Atmosphere
In addition to a good game, the atmosphere was lively. We weren’t in a wild section, but there was a section on one of the ends that was rowdy and extremely lively: chanting, singing and waving flags. Even though our section wasn’t wild, the fans got into the game. And despite not being at capacity, the stadium was relatively full and quite busy when walking around at half time.
Saputo Stadium
CF Montréal play at the Saputo Stadium which is in Olympic Park and next to Olympic Tower. Saputo Stadium is a bit far from downtown, but it’s easy to get to on the metro. It took us just over half an hour to get to the stadium. You need to ride the green line to Pie-IX station and walk about 15 minutes to the stadium. The metro ride was a lot of fun as it was packed with fans decked out in blue. And on the walk to the stadium there was a blue wave of fans and there were nice views of the Olympic Tower. Once we got to the stadium the lineup didn’t take long to get in.
The stadium is relatively small, and the views of the pitch are excellent. We had decent seats and our view was great. We weren’t in the lowest seats, but we felt close to the pitch. The seats and leg room was standard and just like you’d expect. Walking around the stadium was easy and not too congested and there were plenty of places to purchase something to eat or drink.
Food & Extras
The food was standard for what you normally see at sporting events but of course in Montréal there were several options for poutine. I had a classic poutine and it was delicious. Eating a poutine while drinking a beer and watching soccer was a great combo. I also got a bag of popcorn too. The price was standard, what you’d expect at a sporting event, but wasn’t as excessive as some other events I’ve been to.
And in addition to plenty of places to buy food, there were plenty of activities at half time. I missed the on field festivities as I was walking around the concourse with my daughter. There were several fun soccer games and activities for kids there. Our daughter played two soccer games that involved targets and scoring. It was a lot of fun, but she was a bit small to succeed and win a prize in the games.
Price & Was it Worth it?
The food was reasonably priced, but what about the tickets? When I bought the tickets, the view looked great from the preview and I thought we were going to be really close to the field. It turns out we were relatively high up, but it’s a small stadium with good views everywhere, so we weren’t actually that high and the view was excellent. After taxes and fees, we paid about $60 a ticket and we were right in the middle of the field. There weren’t a ton available, but there were a few even cheaper tickets we could have purchased. The tickets were a good price and more reasonably priced than NBA and NHL games we’ve gone to.
Transportation was easy with the metro, so you don’t need to worry about paying for a cab; so all in all, it was a relatively affordable family friendly night. We had a lot of fun and I’d say the night was worth it. With tickets, beer and food, budget between $200-$250 for three people. It isn’t cheap, but for a sporting event it wasn’t too bad. For a different experience than a typical hockey, basketball or football game, I’d recommend a game CF Montréal game in Montréal, it’s fun, lively atmosphere and the soccer is quite good.
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