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Stade Saputo will be opening its doors for the game between the Montreal Impact and the Columbus Crew this Saturday. In a not-so-romantic spring weather, the Impact and the Crew could have been playing on ice and snow if not for the warmer but wet weather of late.
Well, the weather has been getting warmer for over a month in Montreal but the quality of the pitch and grass was a question mark. Having an outdoor game in Montreal during the month of April will always be a gamble. If it's not bad weather, it could be the state of the grass pitch. Richard Legendre confirmed that the game will go on just in case there were still any doubts.
The grass's biggest enemy is ice and not snow as stated by Roch Poulin, the ''grass expert'' for the Montreal Impact. The expert even gave the grass an acceptable grade of 7 out of 10. This is good news for a team that has only played 1 game on grass (away against Sporting Kansas City). But the soil and grass still need sunshine and the forecast does not bode well for a lot of sunshine.
The good news is that the true home of the Montreal Impact and its fans is opening its doors. Even if the Olympic Stadium has been a good host for Les Bleus of Montreal, the cavernous ambiance did not help the players nor the fans. Playing on turf will also give a rest for old and/or sensitive knees.
With 15,000 tickets sold for the ''Home Opener'', around 5000 tickets are left. In typical Montreal fashion, the Impact will expect a lot of walk-ins and last minute purchases. The weather forecast does not help at all but when you think about it selling 15,000 tickets is actually good.
Considering the weather and the Montreal Canadiens playing later that evening, the Montreal Impact is a notable attraction in the city in a dull spring weather.