174-715: Club de Foot Montréal ( lit. Montreal Football Club ), better known as CF Montreal or simply Montreal ( French : Montréal ), is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal . The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference . Founded in 1993 as the Montreal Impact , they began playing in the MLS in 2012 as the league's nineteenth franchise and third Canadian club. In 2015,
348-711: A 1–1 draw at the Azteca in Mexico City on April 22, 2015. A week later the teams met again at the Olympic Stadium in Montréal in front of a sold-out crowd of 61,004. The home team scored in the 8th minute when Nacho Piatti moved swiftly past three América players and passed to an open Andrés Romero who slotted the ball past the Mexican goalkeeper. The first half ended with the Impact ahead 1–0 in
522-720: A French official to teachers in the department of Finistère , in western Brittany, included the following: "And remember, Gents: you were given your position in order to kill the Breton language". The prefect of Basses-Pyrénées in the French Basque Country wrote in 1846: "Our schools in the Basque Country are particularly meant to replace the Basque language with French..." Students were taught that their ancestral languages were inferior and they should be ashamed of them; this process
696-431: A comprehensive academic study entitled "The World's 10 most influential languages". In the article, Weber ranked French as, after English, the second-most influential language of the world, ahead of Spanish. His criteria were the numbers of native speakers, the number of secondary speakers (especially high for French among fellow world languages), the number of countries using the language and their respective populations,
870-468: A desperation move, suggesting the change had more to do with the NASL not being able to field enough teams to play its regular spring schedule and that the league had not worked through the "logistical nightmare" of such a schedule change. On February 27, 2018, the league announced that the 2018 season had been canceled in the wake of the court ruling. They were looking for ways to return in 2020. At that time,
1044-543: A foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population worldwide is expected to reach 700 million people in 2050. French is the fastest growing language on the continent (in terms of either official or foreign languages). French is increasingly being spoken as a native language in Francophone Africa, especially in regions like Ivory Coast , Cameroon , Gabon, Madagascar , and
1218-400: A further update was discussed in 2015 but was dropped. From the beginning of the league, Brazilian-based sports company Traffic Sports Marketing was a significant investor in the new league. Traffic Sports Marketing was heavily involved in its operations. Traffic was an early investor in four of the league's clubs, and the president of its American subsidiary, Aaron Davidson , also served as
1392-408: A highly active group, known for their unwavering 90 minute chants, use of smoke grenades, creating large tifos, waving flags, and organizing road trips to follow the club on away games. The group was located directly behind the net, on the south side of Stade Saputo, in section 132 with some spillover into section 131. Smaller independent groups also located in these sections, would join their voices to
1566-480: A letter to U.S. Soccer president, Sunil Gulati , objecting to proposed updates to the Division I PLS. NASL took issue with three proposed changes: increasing the minimum stadium size to 15,000, increasing the minimum number of teams to 16, and changing the minimum population required in 75% of the teams from a population of 1 million to 2 million. NASL accused U.S. Soccer of colluding with MLS to protect MLS's monopoly as
1740-576: A new professional league in 2019 associated with the National Premier Soccer League and the NASL effectively became defunct. The NASL began playing a split-season format in 2013. Similar to Liga MX , Central, and South American leagues, the schedule consisted of two competitions, Spring and Fall, with the winner of the Spring season earning the right to host the Fall champion in a one-game playoff,
1914-688: A period of prosperity and prominence among European nations. Richelieu established the Académie française to protect the French language. By the early 1800s, Parisian French had become the primary language of the aristocracy in France. Near the beginning of the 19th century, the French government began to pursue policies with the end goal of eradicating the many minorities and regional languages ( patois ) spoken in France. This began in 1794 with Henri Grégoire 's "Report on
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#17328372767812088-494: A relic of the old nominal case system of Latin longer than most other Romance languages (with the notable exception of Romanian which still currently maintains a case distinction), differentiating between an oblique case and a nominative case. The phonology was characterized by heavy syllabic stress, which led to the emergence of various complicated diphthongs such as -eau which would later be leveled to monophthongs. The earliest evidence of what became Old French can be seen in
2262-435: A return to the club's traditional colours with blue being predominant, and centred around a stylized fleur-de-lis , which the club has used as a symbol since 2002. Home, away, and alternative uniforms. "Ultras Montréal" , also known as "UM02" , was founded in 2002 and was CF Montréal's largest and oldest supporters group. The group's motto is "Toujours fidèles" in French and translates as "Forever faithful". The Ultras were
2436-526: A salary cap, limited active rosters to 30 players, and limited teams to seven foreign players. Teams playing in the NASL represented three separate CONCACAF members, the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. NASL's U.S.-based teams played in the U.S. Open Cup , the winner of which provides one of the four U.S. representatives in the CONCACAF Champions League . The NASL did not participate in
2610-573: A second language. French is the second most taught foreign language in the EU. All institutions of the EU use French as a working language along with English and German ; in some institutions, French is the sole working language (e.g. at the Court of Justice of the European Union ). French is also the 16th most natively spoken language in the world, the sixth most spoken language by total number of speakers , and
2784-513: A second language. However it has also become a native language in a number of urban areas, especially in regions like Ivory Coast , Cameroon , Gabon, Madagascar , and the Democratic Republic of the Congo . In some North African countries, though not having official status, it is also a first language among some upper classes of the population alongside indigenous languages, but only
2958-897: A second one among the general population. In 2015, approximately 40% of the Francophone population (including L2 and partial speakers) lived in Europe, 36% in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean, 15% in North Africa and the Middle East, 8% in the Americas, and 1% in Asia and Oceania. French is the second most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union . Of Europeans who speak other languages natively, approximately one-fifth are able to speak French as
3132-399: A semi-final. The number one seed was awarded to whichever of the Spring or Fall champions posts the better combined regular season record. The number three and number four seeds were awarded to the next two clubs with the best overall records from both seasons combined. Clubs will retain their seeding throughout the postseason. The top-seeded semi-final winner hosted The Championship final. If
3306-470: A small part of section 127 a standing room area only. The group can be identified in the stadium by a banner displaying the group's name and crest. The crest features a snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca), the official bird of the Province of Québec. Because of their proximity, 127 Montréal often join supporters in 132 and 131 in their chants during matches. The group can also be seen during matches waving flags sporting
3480-605: A soccer complex somewhere in San Diego's North County and will play its games at the University of San Diego in the meantime. However, after the league announced it had cancelled the 2018 NASL season, the expansion team announced that they had quietly resigned from the NASL the month before and were finalizing an agreement to join the United Soccer League in 2019. Indy Eleven announced on January 10, 2018, that they had left
3654-660: A spot in the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League , their second ever birth and first birth since joinging MLS as an expansion team. The club finished the 2013 MLS regular season with a record of 14 wins, 13 losses, and 7 ties which earned them their first-ever MLS playoff berth, finishing in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Impact were eliminated by the Houston Dynamo in the knockout round. The club announced on December 18 that Marco Schällibaum would not return and former Chicago Fire coach Frank Klopas would replace him as
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#17328372767813828-631: A stable ownership group. In July 2013, the NASL awarded two new expansion franchises to begin play in 2015: Jacksonville Armada FC and Oklahoma City FC . Jacksonville plays at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and hopes to build its own stadium. Oklahoma City FC did not join the league. An NASL team in Oklahoma City was eventually announced for a 2016 launch when Spanish club Rayo Vallecano launched Rayo OKC in November 2015. In 2014,
4002-536: A variant of Canadian French , is spoken in parts of New England . Missouri French was historically spoken in Missouri and Illinois (formerly known as Upper Louisiana ), but is nearly extinct today. French also survived in isolated pockets along the Gulf Coast of what was previously French Lower Louisiana , such as Mon Louis Island , Alabama and DeLisle, Mississippi (the latter only being discovered by linguists in
4176-560: A variety of press releases to taint the reputation of USL and its long history of developing the sport of soccer." NASL's inaugural season was expected to begin play in April 2010. However, after announcing that it would not sanction either the NASL or the USL First Division for 2010, U.S. Soccer announced in January 2010 that it would run a temporary USSF Division 2 Professional League for
4350-580: A verbal conflict with club owner, Joey Saputo, after a 3–0 loss to Sporting Kansas City in July but that he would be leaving the club after the end of the season. On June 27, 2023, CF Montréal manager Losada gave six Québecois players a start in a 1–0 league win over the New England Revolution : it was the highest number of locally-based players ever featured in the starting XI since the team had first joined MLS. CF Montréal parted ways with Losada after
4524-437: Is 95%, and in the French collectivity of Wallis and Futuna , it is 84%. In French Polynesia and to a lesser extent Wallis and Futuna, where oral and written knowledge of the French language has become almost universal (95% and 84% respectively), French increasingly tends to displace the native Polynesian languages as the language most spoken at home. In French Polynesia, the percentage of the population who reported that French
4698-745: Is a Romance language of the Indo-European family . Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire . French evolved from Gallo-Romance , the Latin spoken in Gaul , and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl —languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French ( Francien ) largely supplanted. French
4872-467: Is a widespread second language among the Lebanese people , and is taught in many schools along with Arabic and English. French is used on Lebanese pound banknotes, on road signs, on Lebanese license plates , and on official buildings (alongside Arabic). Today, French and English are secondary languages of Lebanon , with about 40% of the population being Francophone and 40% Anglophone. The use of English
5046-484: Is also a working language in nonprofit organisations such as the Red Cross (alongside English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian), Amnesty International (alongside 32 other languages of which English is the most used, followed by Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian), Médecins sans Frontières (used alongside English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic), and Médecins du Monde (used alongside English). Given
5220-430: Is among the top five most studied languages worldwide, with about 120 million learners as of 2017. As a result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 16th century onward, French was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. French has a long history as an international language of literature and scientific standards and is a primary or second language of many international organisations including
5394-456: Is an official language in 27 countries , as well as one of the most geographically widespread languages in the world, with about 50 countries and territories having it as a de jure or de facto official, administrative, or cultural language. Most of these countries are members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the community of 54 member states which share
CF Montréal - Misplaced Pages Continue
5568-628: Is enacted only in New Brunswick, where about one third of the population is Francophone. French is also an official language of all of the territories ( Northwest Territories , Nunavut , and Yukon ). Out of the three, Yukon has the most French speakers, making up just under 4% of the population. Furthermore, while French is not an official language in Ontario , the French Language Services Act ensures that provincial services are available in
5742-495: Is growing in the business and media environment. Out of about 900,000 students, about 500,000 are enrolled in Francophone schools, public or private, in which the teaching of mathematics and scientific subjects is provided in French. Actual usage of French varies depending on the region and social status. One-third of high school students educated in French go on to pursue higher education in English-speaking institutions. English
5916-596: Is inscribed. In 2020, the Impact unveiled a new slogan, "Passion. Fierté. Authenticité." (Passion. Pride. Authenticity.) In January 2021, the club rebranded as Club de Foot Montréal (or CF Montreal ), with Saputo saying "It's hard to let go of things you love. But here's the reality — to make an impact, we need to retire the Impact." As part of the rebranding, the club unveiled a new badge and colours. The club's new official colours were marketed as "Impact Black", "Ice Grey", and "Sacré Bleu". The badge predominantly featured four letter M's and eight arrows pointing to its centre,
6090-404: Is known as Old French. The period of Old French spanned between the 8th and 14th centuries. Old French shared many characteristics with Latin. For example, Old French made use of different possible word orders just as Latin did because it had a case system that retained the difference between nominative subjects and oblique non-subjects . The period is marked by a heavy superstrate influence from
6264-462: Is often considered to be a useful skill by business owners in the United Kingdom; a 2014 study found that 50% of British managers considered French to be a valuable asset for their business, thus ranking French as the most sought-after foreign language there, ahead of German (49%) and Spanish (44%). MIT economist Albert Saiz calculated a 2.3% premium for those who have French as a foreign language in
6438-775: Is one of the official languages of such major international and regional courts, tribunals, and dispute-settlement bodies as the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights , the Caribbean Court of Justice , the Court of Justice for the Economic Community of West African States , the Inter-American Court of Human Rights , the International Court of Justice , the International Criminal Tribunal for
6612-562: Is taught in universities around the world, and is one of the world's most influential languages because of its wide use in the worlds of journalism, jurisprudence , education, and diplomacy. In diplomacy, French is one of the six official languages of the United Nations (and one of the UN Secretariat 's only two working languages ), one of twenty official and three procedural languages of the European Union , an official language of NATO ,
6786-538: Is the language of business and communication, with French being an element of social distinction, chosen for its emotional value. French is an official language of the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu , where 31% of the population was estimated to speak it in 2023. In the French special collectivity of New Caledonia , 97% of the population can speak, read and write French while in French Polynesia this figure
6960-479: Is the native language of about 23% of the Swiss population, and is spoken by 50% of the population. Along with Luxembourgish and German, French is one of the three official languages of Luxembourg , where it is generally the preferred language of business as well as of the different public administrations. It is also the official language of Monaco . At a regional level, French is acknowledged as an official language in
7134-492: Is the second-most spoken language (after English) in the states of Maine and New Hampshire . In Louisiana , it is tied with Spanish for second-most spoken if Louisiana French and all creoles such as Haitian are included. French is the third most spoken language (after English and Spanish) in the states of Connecticut , Rhode Island , and New Hampshire . Louisiana is home to many distinct French dialects, collectively known as Louisiana French . New England French , essentially
CF Montréal - Misplaced Pages Continue
7308-424: Is the sole official language in the province of Quebec , where some 80% of the population speak it as a native language and 95% are capable of conducting a conversation in it. Quebec is also home to the city of Montreal , which is the world's fourth-largest French-speaking city, by number of first language speakers. New Brunswick and Manitoba are the only officially bilingual provinces, though full bilingualism
7482-524: The "Collectif Impact Montréal" . "Ultras Montréal" released a statement on September 7, 2022, indicating that they would not be part of the collective. Collectif Impact Montréal along with several other smaller groups and independent supporters located nearby have successfully relaunched section 132 as an ultra-style supporters section. Once more, supporters groups at opposing ends of the field, acting independently, have created hostile territory for opposing goaltenders during both halves. The official mascot of
7656-738: The Aosta Valley region of Italy where it is the first language of approximately 50% of the population, while French dialects remain spoken by minorities on the Channel Islands . It is also spoken in Andorra and is the main language after Catalan in El Pas de la Casa . The language is taught as the primary second language in the German state of Saarland , with French being taught from pre-school and over 43% of citizens being able to speak French. The majority of
7830-459: The Aosta Valley region of Italy; and various communities elsewhere. French is estimated to have about 310 million speakers, of which about 80 million are native speakers. According to the OIF, approximately 321 million people worldwide are "able to speak the language" as of 2022, without specifying the criteria for this estimation or whom it encompasses. In Francophone Africa, it is spoken mainly as
8004-657: The Chicago Sting , but works were in progress to secure short-term and long-term stadium options. The efforts were combined with exploring investors and supporter ownership structures. In February 2016, it was announced that the San Francisco Deltas would join the NASL in 2017. Despite a championship season, the Deltas folded at the end of 2017. In October 2016, the Ottawa Fury FC announced that they would be moving to
8178-539: The Democratic Republic of Congo . There is not a single African French , but multiple forms that diverged through contact with various indigenous African languages . Sub-Saharan Africa is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, because of the expansion of education and rapid population growth. It is also where the language has evolved the most in recent years. Some vernacular forms of French in Africa can be difficult to understand for French speakers from other countries, but written forms of
8352-485: The European Union , French was the dominant language within all institutions until the 1990s. After several enlargements of the EU (1995, 2004), French significantly lost ground in favour of English, which is more widely spoken and taught in most EU countries. French currently remains one of the three working languages, or "procedural languages", of the EU, along with English and German. It is the second-most widely used language within EU institutions after English, but remains
8526-547: The Francien dialect is one that not only continued but also thrived during the Middle French period (14th–17th centuries). Modern French grew out of this Francien dialect. Grammatically, during the period of Middle French, noun declensions were lost and there began to be standardized rules. Robert Estienne published the first Latin-French dictionary, which included information about phonetics, etymology, and grammar. Politically,
8700-820: The International Olympic Committee , the Council of Europe , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development , Organization of American States (alongside Spanish, Portuguese and English), the Eurovision Song Contest , one of eighteen official languages of the European Space Agency , World Trade Organization and the least used of the three official languages in the North American Free Trade Agreement countries. It
8874-405: The New York Cosmos , Miami FC and Jacksonville Armada , chose to participate in the National Premier Soccer League for the 2018 season while the NASL's future was being determined. FC Edmonton briefly stopped operations before joining the newly formed Canadian Premier League in advance of the 2019 inaugural season, while San Diego 1904 FC left the league and tried unsuccessfully to join
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#17328372767819048-420: The Oaths of Strasbourg and the Sequence of Saint Eulalia , while Old French literature began to be produced in the eleventh century, with major early works often focusing on the lives of saints (such as the Vie de Saint Alexis ), or wars and royal courts, notably including the Chanson de Roland , epic cycles focused on King Arthur and his court , as well as a cycle focused on William of Orange . It
9222-440: The San Antonio Spurs , to operate the facilities and field a team in the United Soccer League, effectively folding the San Antonio Scorpions. In February 2016, former Indy Eleven president Peter Wilt announced his ambition to create an NASL team in Chicago . Wilt had been the first president and general manager of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire . The ownership group announced that the NASL Chicago club would not be called
9396-469: The Soccer Bowl . In 2014 the postseason was altered again with the introduction of The Championship : The NASL Spring Season and Fall Season champions were joined in the semi-finals of The Championship by the two clubs with the next best overall records from both seasons combined. The semi-final winners competed in The Championship Final , with "Soccer Bowl" being the name of the trophy itself. The NASL Spring Season and Fall Season champions would each host
9570-437: The Soccer Bowl trophy . While there was no promotion and relegation with other leagues, former commissioner Bill Peterson repeatedly stated that the league had an interest in introducing promotion and relegation to the pyramid. During its seven seasons of play from 2011 to 2017, it was sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league in the United States soccer league system . In 2017,
9744-406: The U.S. Open Cup . The club plays its home matches at Stade Saputo and is managed by Laurent Courtois . Impact de Montréal FC were founded in December 1992 when the Saputo family acquired a new franchise in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL), at the time the top flight of professional U.S. and Canadian soccer, which was set to begin competition for the 1993 season. In 1994,
9918-409: The USL Premier Development League following the refurbishment of TD Place Stadium . The Indy Eleven played at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis but planned to complete their own stadium. Virginia Cavalry FC was originally announced as a 2014 expansion team to be based in the planned Edelman Financial Field in Ashburn, Virginia , but could not find either a suitable venue or
10092-520: The United Nations , the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization , the World Trade Organization , the International Olympic Committee , the General Conference on Weights and Measures , and the International Committee of the Red Cross . French is a Romance language (meaning that it is descended primarily from Vulgar Latin ) that evolved out of the Gallo-Romance dialects spoken in northern France. The language's early forms include Old French and Middle French . Due to Roman rule, Latin
10266-404: The Vancouver Whitecaps FC joined MLS in 2011. The Minnesota Thunder ceased operations due to financial problems, and were replaced by the NSC Minnesota Stars under different ownership. On March 25, 2015, it was announced that founding team Minnesota would become a Major League Soccer expansion side in 2017. When the owner of the Atlanta Silverbacks was unable to find a buyer for the club,
10440-415: The Voyageurs Cup , the domestic trophy for professional club soccer in Canada, a total of 11 times, five of which are within the format of the Canadian Championship , the national championship for professional clubs in Canada formed in 2008. The club competes in the Leagues Cup , the North American zonal competition for CONCACAF, and is eligible for the cross-border Campeones Cup , but does not take part in
10614-455: The 1990s) but these varieties are severely endangered or presumed extinct. French is one of two official languages in Haiti alongside Haitian Creole . It is the principal language of education, administration, business, and public signage and is spoken by all educated Haitians. It is also used for ceremonial events such as weddings, graduations, and church masses. The vast majority of the population speaks Haitian Creole as their first language;
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#173283727678110788-420: The 2010 season that included 12 teams from both the NASL and USL-1, putting the NASL on hold for at least a year. Following the 2010 season, NASL admitted its member clubs to meet the new Division 2 standards set out by U.S. Soccer. The NASL was provisionally approved by U.S. Soccer on November 21, 2010. The provisional sanctioning was briefly revoked by U.S. Soccer in January 2011 due to the collapse of two of
10962-413: The 2011 U.S. Open Cup during the league's first season, but joined the tournament in 2012 to some success as the Carolina RailHawks reached the quarterfinals that year. In 2014, both the Carolina RailHawks and the Atlanta Silverbacks reached the Open Cup quarterfinals. The league's Canadian teams, FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury FC , participated in the Canadian Championship . This tournament consists of
11136-459: The 2023 regular season. In regards to keeping the name "Impact" upon the move to MLS, Montreal stated its intention "to maintain its name and global team image". The official logo for the team was revealed at the start of a match between the NASL Montreal Impact team and the NSC Minnesota Stars on August 6, 2011. The previous logo was a shield in blue, black, white and silver containing a stylized fleur-de-lis and four silver stars, overlaid with
11310-474: The 20th century, when it was replaced by English as the United States became the dominant global power following the Second World War . Stanley Meisler of the Los Angeles Times said that the fact that the Treaty of Versailles was written in English as well as French was the "first diplomatic blow" against the language. During the Grand Siècle (17th century), France, under the rule of powerful leaders such as Cardinal Richelieu and Louis XIV , enjoyed
11484-445: The Canadian Soccer Association's professional clubs, the winner representing Canada in the Champions League. NASL teams also occasionally played in international competitions including friendlies during the league's summer break. Additionally, the Puerto Rico Islanders were invited to participate in the CFU Club Championship by the Caribbean Football Union representing Puerto Rico, participation in which allowed them to qualify for
11658-510: The Canadian capital, is also effectively bilingual, as it has a large population of federal government workers, who are required to offer services in both French and English, and is just across the river from the Quebecois city of Gatineau . According to the United States Census Bureau (2011), French is the fourth most spoken language in the United States after English, Spanish, and Chinese, when all forms of French are considered together and all dialects of Chinese are similarly combined. French
11832-614: The Caribbean that are collectively referred to as the French West Indies , namely Guadeloupe , Saint Barthélemy , Saint Martin , and Martinique . French is the official language of both French Guiana on the South American continent, and of Saint Pierre and Miquelon , an archipelago off the coast of Newfoundland in North America. French was the official language of the colony of French Indochina , comprising modern-day Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia . It continues to be an administrative language in Laos and Cambodia, although its influence has waned in recent decades. In colonial Vietnam,
12006-474: The Carolina RailHawks, Miami FC, Minnesota United FC (formerly Minnesota Thunder/Stars) and Montreal Impact – played in the USL First Division in 2009, and were among the set of TOA teams that initiated the original breakaway from the USL. FC Tampa Bay had been scheduled to be a 2010 USL-1 expansion franchise, but switched to the NASL shortly after NASL was officially formed. The Atlanta Silverbacks played competitively in USL-1 in 2008, and spent 2009 on hiatus from
12180-589: The Champions League. The Islanders competed in Champions League twice during their time in NASL. Club folded Club moved to MLS Club moved to USL Club moved to other league With provisional approval from U.S. Soccer to begin play as a Division 2 league in 2011, eight clubs were officially confirmed to launch the inaugural season: Atlanta Silverbacks , Carolina RailHawks , FC Edmonton , Fort Lauderdale Strikers (formerly Miami FC), Montreal Impact , NSC Minnesota Stars , Puerto Rico Islanders and FC Tampa Bay . Four of these eight teams –
12354-509: The Chicago Sting (58,542). On May 12, 2012, the Impact set a new attendance record for a professional soccer match in Canada with a crowd of 60,860 spectators during a game against the Los Angeles Galaxy which ended in 1–1 draw. On May 24, 2012, the club announced the signing of their first ever MLS Designated Player in Marco Di Vaio , previously of Bologna F.C. 1909 . Di Vaio signed with the Impact after 14 seasons in Serie A and went on to score 34 goals in 76 appearances from 2012 to 2014 with
12528-632: The Columbus Crew, Biello was hired permanently. The team was also boosted mid-season by the arrival of Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba , formerly of Chelsea . Biello was dismissed by the club in October 2017 after failing to qualify for the playoffs and was succeeded by Rémi Garde , formerly of Aston Villa . Garde was himself dismissed in August 2019 and replaced by former Colombian football defender Wilmer Cabrera on an interim basis. During Cabrera's time at
12702-514: The Division II status was made provisional, as the league had consistently failed to meet the sanctioning criteria. In 2018, U.S. Soccer outright denied the league Division II status for 2018, as the NASL had not demonstrated a plan for moving into compliance with required standards. The league first postponed and then cancelled its 2018 season, pushing back its potential return to the 2020 season. Its member clubs folded or moved to other leagues, and
12876-524: The Empire, this local elite had been slowly abandoning Gaulish entirely, but the rural and lower class populations remained Gaulish speakers who could sometimes also speak Latin or Greek. The final language shift from Gaulish to Vulgar Latin among rural and lower class populations occurred later, when both they and the incoming Frankish ruler/military class adopted the Gallo-Roman Vulgar Latin speech of
13050-476: The Germanic Frankish language , which non-exhaustively included the use in upper-class speech and higher registers of V2 word order , a large percentage of the vocabulary (now at around 15% of modern French vocabulary ) including the impersonal singular pronoun on (a calque of Germanic man ), and the name of the language itself. Up until its later stages, Old French , alongside Old Occitan , maintained
13224-560: The Impact defeated the Colorado Foxes 1–0 at Centre Claude Robillard in Montréal, in front of a crowd of 8,169. The victory was the first championship for a professional soccer club from the city of Montréal. The Impact were regular season champions for three consecutive seasons; from 1995 to 1996 in the APSL (rebranded as the A-League ), and in 1997 as part of the post-merger USISL A-League. In 2004,
13398-484: The Impact into MLS. Chairman Joey Saputo held talks with George Gillett (former co-owner of Liverpool F.C. and former owner of the Montreal Canadiens ) regarding possible joint ownership of a franchise. On July 24, 2008, MLS announced they were seeking to add two expansion teams for the 2011 season, of which Montreal was listed as a potential candidate. On November 22, 2008, the group's bid for an MLS franchise
13572-474: The Impact was the first ever Canadian club and the second MLS club to advance to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League , where they lost to Club América . The club rebranded as Club de Foot Montréal in 2021 with a new club crest and colours. Amidst discontent and pressure from supporters and local media, the club introduced a revised logo for the 2023 season, with the club being known simply as CF Montréal. CF Montréal and its predecessor clubs have won
13746-663: The Impact won the A-League championship by defeating the Seattle Sounders 2–0 at Centre Claude Robillard in Montréal, in front of a crowd of 13,648—a new attendance record for the club at the time. The A-League was renamed the USL First Division in November 2004. The Impact started the 2005 season with a 15-game undefeated streak and finished 10 points clear of second place to win the Commissioner's Cup. They were knocked out in
13920-492: The Impact wordmark. The fleur-de-lis, which also appeared on the logo of the NASL Impact team, is a globally recognized symbol of French heritage, and features prominently on the flag of Quebec as a reflection of Québécois culture. The four stars represent the four founding communities of Montreal identified on the city's coat of arms . At the top of the shield, the team's motto, "Tous Pour Gagner" (French for "all for victory")
14094-520: The Impact's new head coach. 2014 season The Impact became repeat Voyageurs Cup champions by defeating Toronto FC in the 2014 Canadian Championship final on June 4, 2014. Despite their success in the domestic cup, the Impact struggled in league play. The Impact finished the 2014 MLS season with a record of 6–18–10 (W-L-D), finishing last in the league. 2014 -2015 CONCACAF Champions League run The Impact were drawn into group 3 with C.D. FAS of El Salvador and MLS rivals New York Red Bulls. With only
14268-677: The Montreal Impact joining Major League Soccer and the San Antonio Scorpions joining NASL as an expansion side. The league played its 2013 spring season with seven teams, as the Puerto Rico Islanders suspended operations with uncertainty regarding a government subsidy. The New York Cosmos restored the league to eight teams when it joined for the fall 2013 season, playing its home games at Hofstra University 's James M. Shuart Stadium . NASL's expansion into New York marked
14442-478: The NASL and would begin play in the USL starting with the 2018 season. The North American Soccer League operated as a group of independent club owners as opposed to the single-entity structure of Major League Soccer. The league itself was owned and operated by its member teams through the board of governors, consisting of a representative from each member team. The board oversaw the league rules and regulations, and governed
14616-541: The NASL effectively became defunct in November 2018. A top-division professional soccer league known as the North American Soccer League operated from 1968 to early 1985. The modern league used the same name and a similar logo but had no official ties to the original NASL. Several of the modern NASL teams, in particular the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Tampa Bay Rowdies, and New York Cosmos, shared
14790-802: The NASL indicated its vision to grow to 18 to 20 teams by 2018. Former NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson expressed interest in Hartford , which had been home to the Connecticut Bicentennials in the previous version of the NASL . However, the priority remained to add more teams in the West , Midwest and Prairies , with an eye on placing teams in the 25 largest metropolitan areas without professional soccer teams in order to tap into greater media exposure and sponsor interest. NASL expansion conversations took place with interested parties from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and Las Vegas. Also,
14964-449: The NASL, but announced in late 2010 that it would not play in NASL in 2011 due to a necessary restructuring. The Rochester Rhinos of the USL First Division initially joined the NASL on November 30, 2009, but jumped to the new USL Pro instead. AC St. Louis , part of the initial TOA group that formed NASL, closed in late 2010 after only one season due to financial difficulties. The Vancouver Whitecaps did not play in NASL in 2011 because
15138-403: The NASL, resulting in the loss of its Division II status. NASL stated that it "does not believe that the federation acted in the best interest of the sport. U.S. Soccer's decision negatively affects many stakeholders in soccer: fans, players, coaches, referees, business partners, and the NASL club owners who have invested tens of millions of dollars promoting the sport. The decision also jeopardizes
15312-586: The NY Cosmos traveled to London to play lower division English teams. Similar to other American sports leagues (but unlike many European soccer leagues), NASL did not have promotion or relegation for its member clubs. The champion of Division II NASL was not promoted to Division I Major League Soccer , and the team finishing last in NASL was not relegated. Two NASL clubs did switch leagues to MLS ( Montreal Impact in 2012, Minnesota United FC in 2017) as expansion teams following an application. The NASL did not have
15486-472: The Swiss Super League. On February 23, the Impact won the 2013 Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic , beating Columbus Crew 1–0 in the final during their pre-season campaign. On May 29, the club won the 2013 Canadian Championship by defeating Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the final, the Impact's first major trophy since joining MLS and their eighth Voyageurs Cup . As Canadian Champions, the Impact earned
15660-469: The TOA felt was counter-productive and detrimental to the development of the league. Within several weeks, a number of TOA member clubs threatened to break away from USL and start their own league. On November 10, 2009, six USL-1 clubs along with St. Louis applied for approval to create a new North American Division 2 league. On November 20, 2009, one team from both USL-1 and USL-2 announced their intentions to join
15834-533: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied an appeal February 23, 2018. Following the District Court ruling, the NASL announced it would move to the "international calendar", playing from August through June. The announcement was met with skepticism, with commentators pointing out the difficulty in playing a winter schedule in northern markets such as New York or Indiana. Others characterized it as
16008-505: The U.S. and Canada". The USL issued several press releases questioning the legality of the teams choosing to break away, suggesting that it considered litigation to protect its interests and those of the USL-1 teams from any breach of contract. The USL claimed that the NASL and the TOA ownership group was "interfering with USL-1 team owners that are contractually obligated to participate in the 2010 season" and "made several misleading statements in
16182-463: The USL Team Owner's Association (TOA), a group comprising the owners of several USL First Division clubs and St. Louis Soccer United . After the purchase, several prominent TOA members began to voice their concerns about the state of the league in general, its management structure and ownership model, the leadership of USL president Francisco Marcos, and about the sale of the league to NuRock, which
16356-458: The USL for the 2017 season. At the time of their announcement, it had been reported that the Fury were losing approximately $ 2 million per year during their time in the NASL. On May 10, 2017, it was announced that California United FC would join the league in Spring 2018 and play its home games at Titan Stadium on the campus of Cal State Fullerton . Following the cancellation of the 2018 season,
16530-452: The USL, they instead joined the temporary USSF Division 2 Professional League for one season in 2010. The Impact finished third in the league's NASL Conference and lost in the semifinals to Carolina RailHawks FC . The team also lead the league in average attendance with 12,608 spectators per match. Montréal ultimately played in the NASL for one season, failing to qualify for the playoffs, before being replaced by their MLS incarnation. Toward
16704-409: The USL. After initially postponing the 2018 season, the league was denied a preliminary injunction to prevent the loss of its Division II sanctioning and announced it had canceled its 2018 season and hoped to return for a 2019 season. By July 2018, the league pushed back its potential return to the 2020 season. In November 2018, two of the four remaining NASL clubs announced that they would launch
16878-499: The USSF had demonstrated a willingness to work with leagues who could show they were moving into compliance with the PLS; the NASL applied for, and was granted, waivers for specific provisions every year of its existence. In September 2015, the NASL announced its intent to challenge MLS and secure Division I status, despite never having met the criteria for Division II. To that end, the league sent
17052-556: The Ultras during matches. In September 2021, CF Montréal management announced that it was banning certain supporter groups, most notably, the Ultras Montréal. This move sparked many skeptical reactions as it came on the heels of a feud between the group and then president of the club, Kevin Gilmore. The conflict was a culmination of things that started almost exclusively with the rebranding of
17226-534: The United States. They set out certain standards that leagues would need to meet in order to be sanctioned, and any league could apply for whichever tier status it could qualify for. The NASL and USSF would be involved in several legal disputes over the PLS. On August 27, 2009, multi-national sports company Nike agreed to sell its stake in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) to Rob Hoskins and Alec Papadakis of Atlanta-based NuRock Soccer Holdings, instead of to
17400-412: The chairman of the NASL's board of governors. Both Traffic and Davidson himself were implicated in the 2015 FIFA corruption case , and both would eventually plead guilty to racketeering, conspiracy, and wire-fraud conspiracy. Traffic Sports continued to hold a large amount of stock in the NASL until the league finally arranged for a sale to an unnamed buyer in November 2016. Since the league's founding,
17574-472: The change of sanctioning criteria. The decision to pursue the lawsuit was not unanimous among NASL clubs. FC Edmonton was not involved in the lawsuit, having "found out about the lawsuit over the telephone"; and North Carolina FC did not support the lawsuit. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled against the NASL's motion for a preliminary injunction on November 4, 2017, and
17748-409: The club and abandonment of the highly popular team name, Impact de Montréal. The club cited misconduct and past violent incidents, however no further specifics were given in their press release. "127 Montréal" was formed in 2011 and are located in the south-west corner of Stade Saputo, in section 127. The club removed several rows of seats at the bottom of the section to accommodate the group, making
17922-487: The club for the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League , their first continental tournament. The club advanced through the preliminary and group stages to the Champions League quarterfinals, where the Impact were defeated 5–4 on aggregate by Mexican club Santos Laguna . In 2009, the Impact announced plans to join the breakaway North American Soccer League (NASL), a new second division league, but due to legal disputes with
18096-434: The club was Tac-Tik the dog. The "North Star" or "L'Étoile du Nord" in French is a 5-foot (1.5 m) high, 44-inch (110 cm) wide, 1,576-pound (715 kg) bell acquired by the 1642 MTL supporters group as a goal and victory celebration. It was inaugurated on October 25, 2015, by Montreal mayor Denis Coderre where it was rung twice in a Montreal Impact victory against Toronto FC. Since then, numerous personalities from
18270-487: The club. The Impact finished the 2012 regular season in seventh place in the Eastern conference with a record of 12 wins, 16 losses, and 6 ties. On November 3, 2012, head coach Jesse Marsch stepped down due to a difference of opinion with club management over how the team should move forward. 2013 season On January 7, 2013, the Impact named Marco Schällibaum as head coach. Schällibaum had previously coached nearly 10 years in
18444-547: The country near French-speaking Quebec, however, it is the foreign language more commonly taught. Vowel phonemes in French North American Soccer League (2011%E2%80%932017) The North American Soccer League ( NASL ) was a professional men's soccer league based in the United States . The league was named for, but had no connection to, the original North American Soccer League . The later NASL
18618-508: The demographic prospects of the French-speaking nations of Africa, researcher Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry wrote in 2014 that French "could be the language of the future". However, some African countries such as Algeria intermittently attempted to eradicate the use of French, and as of 2024 it was removed as an official language in Mali and Burkina Faso . Significant as a judicial language, French
18792-448: The economic power of the countries using the language, the number of major areas in which the language is used, and the linguistic prestige associated with the mastery of the language (Weber highlighted that French in particular enjoys considerable linguistic prestige). In a 2008 reassessment of his article, Weber concluded that his findings were still correct since "the situation among the top ten remains unchanged." Knowledge of French
18966-431: The elements combining to resemble a stylized snowflake . Creators stated that the new badge was a tribute to the emblems of the 1976 Summer Olympics and Expo 67 . The rebranding was poorly received by the club's main supporter group, the Ultras, who published a letter and a petition requesting the club go back to its previous name. In February 2021, supporters protested the rebranding in front of Saputo Stadium . During
19140-585: The elites primarily spoke French, while many servants who worked in French households spoke a French pidgin known as " Tây Bồi " (now extinct). After French rule ended, South Vietnam continued to use French in administration, education, and trade. However, since the Fall of Saigon and the opening of a unified Vietnam's economy, French has gradually been effectively displaced as the first foreign language of choice by English in Vietnam. Nevertheless, it continues to be taught as
19314-503: The end of 2007, much speculation had been made about a possible franchise move for the lower division Impact to Major League Soccer (MLS). The construction of the expandable Saputo Stadium further suggested an interest on the part of the group to move up to the top-level North American league. Although Toronto FC held a three-year Canadian exclusivity deal that did not expire until 2009, they stated in March 2008 that they would gladly welcome
19488-506: The first government authority to adopt Modern French as official was the Aosta Valley in 1536, while the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts (1539) named French the language of law in the Kingdom of France . During the 17th century, French replaced Latin as the most important language of diplomacy and international relations ( lingua franca ). It retained this role until approximately the middle of
19662-404: The first leg of the quarterfinals. His goal in stoppage time (90+4) in the second leg was the first professional goal of his career and his only goal for the Impact. Porter suffered a serious injury to his left knee less than a month later which required surgery to repair a torn ACL. He retired from professional soccer in 2018 at the early age of 24. Porter's goal immortalised him as a club legend in
19836-488: The first time the league expanded into a city where an MLS team was already present, marking the beginning of a shift in NASL expansion strategy, with NASL later considering expanding into other large markets with MLS teams, such as the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC, and Los Angeles. The NASL added two teams for the 2014 season: the Ottawa Fury FC and Indy Eleven of Indianapolis . The Ottawa Fury moved from
20010-858: The former Yugoslavia , International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda , the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea the International Criminal Court and the World Trade Organization Appellate Body . It is the sole internal working language of the Court of Justice of the European Union , and makes with English the European Court of Human Rights 's two working languages. In 1997, George Weber published, in Language Today ,
20184-462: The game and 2–1 on aggregate. However, Club América scored four goals in the second half and the game ended 4–2 to América (5-3 on aggregate). On August 29, 2015, head coach Frank Klopas was fired and replaced on an interim basis by former Impact player Mauro Biello . After qualifying for the playoffs and defeating Toronto FC in the first round before being eliminated in the Conference semi-finals by
20358-466: The game thus sending the Impact to the semi-finals on away goals (3-3 aggregate). The Impact became the first Canadian club to win a two-legged series against a Mexican opponent. Porter's goal Cameron Porter was drafted 45th overall on January 15, 2015, by the Impact in the MLS SuperDraft. He made his professional debut on February 24 of that same year as an 81st-minute substitute against Pachuca in
20532-818: The gender of the corresponding word in Gaulish. The estimated number of French words that can be attributed to Gaulish is placed at 154 by the Petit Robert , which is often viewed as representing standardized French, while if non-standard dialects are included, the number increases to 240. Known Gaulish loans are skewed toward certain semantic fields, such as plant life ( chêne , bille , etc.), animals ( mouton , cheval , etc.), nature ( boue , etc.), domestic activities (ex. berceau ), farming and rural units of measure ( arpent , lieue , borne , boisseau ), weapons, and products traded regionally rather than further afield. This semantic distribution has been attributed to peasants being
20706-454: The group uses flags extensively, occasionally creates tifos and uses smoke grenades. On September 6, 2022, the club announced that it would be reopening section 132 to supporter groups, the decision taking immediate effect. A collective of supporters, many of whom were previously active in section 132 prior to its closure in September 2021, confirmed they would be making the section their home as
20880-460: The group's crest and using smoke grenades. Members of 127 Montréal occasionally join other groups in travelling to away games. Named after the founding year of Montreal, "1642 MTL" is a supporters group formed in 2015 and located directly behind the net, on the north side of Saputo Stadium , in section 114. 1642 MTL are the owners and caretakers of the North Star bell. Highly active during matches,
21054-475: The helm of the team, the Impact won the 2019 Canadian Championship defeating Toronto FC in the finals. Despite his success in the Canadian Championship, Cabrera failed to lead the team to the MLS playoffs and his contract was not renewed for the following season. In November 2019, former France international Thierry Henry signed a two-year deal to coach the Impact. In his first season, the team made
21228-506: The international transfer window allowed teams to acquire (or sell) players during the summer, providing ample time for new players to become acquainted with their new club and league. Secondly, NASL teams could use this break to generate additional revenue by hosting international friendlies or going on tour. In prior NASL seasons, the competition featured 8 teams playing a 28-game regular season schedule, with 14 home and 14 away matches, meeting each opponent four times. The playoffs consisted of
21402-450: The language are very closely related to those of the rest of the French-speaking world. French is the second most commonly spoken language in Canada and one of two federal official languages alongside English. As of the 2021 Canadian census , it was the native language of 7.7 million people (21% of the population) and the second language of 2.9 million (8% of the population). French
21576-474: The language, although it has now given way to Tamil and English. A former French mandate , Lebanon designates Arabic as the sole official language, while a special law regulates cases when French can be publicly used. Article 11 of Lebanon's Constitution states that "Arabic is the official national language. A law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used". The French language in Lebanon
21750-602: The language. The Act applies to areas of the province where there are significant Francophone communities, namely Eastern Ontario and Northern Ontario . Elsewhere, sizable French-speaking minorities are found in southern Manitoba, Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island and the Port au Port Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the unique Newfoundland French dialect was historically spoken. Smaller pockets of French speakers exist in all other provinces. The Ontarian city of Ottawa ,
21924-475: The last to hold onto Gaulish. The beginning of French in Gaul was greatly influenced by Germanic invasions into the country. These invasions had the greatest impact on the northern part of the country and on the language there. A language divide began to grow across the country. The population in the north spoke langue d'oïl while the population in the south spoke langue d'oc . Langue d'oïl grew into what
22098-467: The league assumed operations for the 2015 season. On January 11, 2016, the NASL announced that it was also unable to secure a new ownership group, and the club ceased operations. On October 25, 2016, the Tampa Bay Rowdies announced that they would be moving to the United Soccer League for the 2017 season. The league continued with eight teams in 2012, losing one team and adding one team, with
22272-547: The league prior to joining the NASL. FC Edmonton was an expansion team that was founded in 2010 and joined the Canadian Premier League in 2019 after suspending operations in late 2017. The Puerto Rico Islanders played in the USL in the 2010 season. Several teams expected to join NASL did not play in NASL during the 2011 inaugural season. Crystal Palace Baltimore of the USL Second Division had planned to join
22446-497: The minds of Impact supporters despite only ever playing in two MLS games for the club. Semi-finals The Impact faced Alajuelense of Costa Rica in the semi-finals who had dispatched D.C. United in the previous round. In the first leg, the Impact defeated the Costa Rican club 2–0 at Olympic Stadium in Montréal in front of a crowd of 33,675. Alajuelense's failure to score a goal in Montréal would prove to be fatal three weeks later when
22620-420: The necessity and means to annihilate the patois and to universalize the use of the French language". When public education was made compulsory , only French was taught and the use of any other ( patois ) language was punished. The goals of the public school system were made especially clear to the French-speaking teachers sent to teach students in regions such as Occitania and Brittany . Instructions given by
22794-487: The new league, taking the membership of the new league to nine teams. The official name of the league was announced on November 23, 2009. According to the official press release, the NASL name was intended to "pay respect to the players, coaches and leaders who were pioneers for men's professional soccer in North America, many of whom remain involved and committed to the growth of the game in various capacities throughout
22968-612: The nineteenth club in Major League Soccer, set to begin play for the 2012 season. The MLS franchise is privately owned by the Saputo family. On June 14, 2011, the Montreal Impact announced a five-year agreement with the Bank of Montreal to become their lead sponsor and jersey sponsor in MLS. In August 2011, Jesse Marsch became the Impact's new head coach. The club began building their roster for their inaugural MLS season in October 2011 with
23142-475: The number of wins in a season (20) and points in a regular season (65). They also set 2 new all-time MLS records for most road wins in a single season (11) and most consecutive road wins (7). CF Montréal were knocked out of the 2022 MLS playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by New York City FC by a score of 3–1, at Stade Saputo. CF Montréal also set new club records for income earned from
23316-574: The official use or teaching of French. It is spoken as a first language (in descending order of the number of speakers) in France; Canada (especially in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick); Belgium ( Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region ); western Switzerland (specifically the cantons forming the Romandy region); parts of Luxembourg; parts of the United States (the states of Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont); Monaco;
23490-496: The only Division I league in the United States. The USSF denied the league's Division I application on March 30, 2016, but continued to grant waivers for the NASL to play in Division II. In September 2017, it was reported that after having granted provisional Division II status to both the NASL and the MLS-backed United Soccer League in 2016, that U.S. Soccer had voted to stop extending PSL standards waivers to
23664-528: The other main foreign language in the Vietnamese educational system and is regarded as a cultural language. All three countries are full members of La Francophonie (OIF). French was the official language of French India , consisting of the geographically separate enclaves referred to as Puducherry . It continued to be an official language of the territory even after its cession to India in 1956 until 1965. A small number of older locals still retain knowledge of
23838-591: The owners of Detroit City FC expressed a desire to join the NASL or USL if additional investors could be found. In addition, Peterson criticized the MLS expansion plans in cities with existing NASL teams (Miami, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and San Antonio), suggesting a turf war and increased competition between the two leagues. In May 2015, the NASL announced that the twelfth team in the league would be Miami FC ,in Miami, Florida. Owned by international entrepreneur Riccardo Silva and former Italian international Paolo Maldini ,
24012-413: The ownership groups involved with NASL and serious questions about several others but was reinstated before the 2011 season. As part of the re-organization that established the NASL as Division II, the USSF updated its Professional League Standards, in order to keep up with the growth of the sport and population growth in the United States since 1995. Another update to the PLS took effect in 2014, while
24186-551: The playoffs for the first time since 2016, but were eliminated 2–1 by the New England Revolution in the first round. That same year, the Impact's first Champions League campaign since the 2015 final ended in the quarter-finals, with away goals elimination by Hondurian club C.D. Olimpia . Henry resigned in February 2021 stating family reasons for his decision to step down as head coach. In a press release, he said: "The last year has been an extremely difficult one for me personally. Due to
24360-537: The playoffs semi-finals by the Seattle Sounders. That same year, the club announced the construction of Stade Saputo, a soccer-specific stadium and the club's current home, which opened on May 19, 2008. The Impact repeated as Commissioner's Cup winners in 2006 and won their first USL playoff championship in 2009 after they defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 6–3 on aggregate in the two-legged final. The second leg
24534-462: The preferred language of certain institutions or administrations such as the Court of Justice of the European Union , where it is the sole internal working language, or the Directorate-General for Agriculture . Since 2016, Brexit has rekindled discussions on whether or not French should again hold greater role within the institutions of the European Union. A leading world language , French
24708-428: The protest, the stadium entrance sign featuring the new badge was vandalized by covering the new badge with black paint. One individual was arrested. In May 2022, amidst declining ticket sales, continued discontent and pressure from fans and media alike, the club unveiled a new badge and announced that it would take effect for the 2023 season, with the club shortening the name to simply CF Montréal. The new badge features
24882-464: The rest largely speak French as a first language. As a French Creole language , Haitian Creole draws the large majority of its vocabulary from French, with influences from West African languages, as well as several European languages. It is closely related to Louisiana Creole and the creole from the Lesser Antilles . French is the sole official language of all the overseas territories of France in
25056-436: The return leg. On March 3, 2015, at Olympic Stadium in Montréal, Pachuca took the lead in the 80th minute when referee Walter López awarded a penalty to the Mexican side and Germán Ezequiel Cano Recalde gave his team the lead. However, in the dying seconds of stoppage time, substitute Cameron Porter controlled a long pass from Callum Mallace, fought off a defender and slipped the ball between the legs of Pachuca's goalkeeper to tie
25230-531: The sale of players with the sale of Djordje Mihailovic to AZ Alkmaar , Alistair Johnston to Celtic FC and Ismaël Koné to Watford FC . MLS 2022 Coach of the Year candidate, Wilfried Nancy left the club and signed with Columbus Crew in December 2022 and was replaced with former D.C. United head coach Hernán Losada . It was reported that Nancy had agreed with management to finish the season with CF Montréal following
25404-408: The same club won both seasons, the clubs with the second, third and fourth best overall records from both seasons combined qualified for The Championship . The Spring Season ran from early April until July 4, and following a one-month break, the Fall season ran from early August until early November. The split-season model had several intended benefits for NASL. A break in July that coincides with
25578-418: The same names and similar jersey designs as their original-NASL predecessors. The new league had expressed its affinity to the earlier one, in fact inviting participation from longtime NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam , who wrote them a letter wishing their success in the new league. In 1995, the USSF had created its first Professional League Standards (PLS) to regulate the first and second division of soccer in
25752-533: The signing of defenseman Nelson Rivas , previously of Inter Milan . From their NASL roster, the Impact re-signed defender Hassoun Camara , goalkeeper Evan Bush and midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic to new MLS contracts. Through the MLS expansion draft, the Impact were able to select in November 2011 ten more players, most notably midfielder and American international Justin Mapp . The Impact also traded for Davy Arnaud from Sporting Kansas City who would eventually become
25926-715: The sports, cultural and art worlds, including many famous Montrealers and others linked to the city have been invited to ring the bell. Amongst them, local media personalities Tony Marinaro and Jean-Charles Lajoie, Canadian women's national soccer team players Gabrielle Carle and Josée Bélanger , retired Montréal Expos pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee , retired Montreal Canadiens center Andrew Shaw , retired Montréal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo , mixed martial artist and former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre and many Canadian Olympic medallists. French language French ( français [fʁɑ̃sɛ] or langue française [lɑ̃ɡ fʁɑ̃sɛːz] )
26100-456: The team announced on February 28, 2018, that it would explore professional league options for 2019. On March 17, 2018, the NASL acknowledged that California United had withdrawn from the NASL. On June 25, 2017, it was announced that a San Diego 1904 FC franchise would be joining the league in Spring 2018. The club's founders include professional soccer players Demba Ba , Eden Hazard , Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sow . The club intends to build
26274-482: The team began play in 2016. In June 2015, professional basketball player Carmelo Anthony , announced that his new club Puerto Rico FC would join the league. The team began play in the 2016 NASL fall season. On December 22, 2015, it was announced that the City of San Antonio and Bexar County had purchased Toyota Field and S.T.A.R. Soccer Complex. Along with this came an agreement for Spurs Sports and Entertainment, owners of
26448-403: The team's first MLS captain. In December 2011, the club signed long-time Impact goalkeeper and Canadian international Greg Sutton , midfielder, Canadian international, future team captain and future Canada Soccer hall of famer Patrice Bernier , and Brazilian midfielder Felipe Martins . Veteran forward and long-time Impact player Eduardo Sebrango was invited to training camp and in February 2012
26622-629: The teams met again for the return leg in Alajuela. The Impact opened the scoring just before the half to secure that all important away goal. Despite Alajuelense's two late goals to win the game 4–2, the Impact advanced to the finals on away goals (4-4 on aggregate). Finals The Impact became the first Canadian club and only the second MLS club to advance to the CONCACAF Champion's League finals and would face Club América. The first leg in Mexico resulted in
26796-439: The thousands of jobs created by the NASL and its member clubs." For its part, the USSF explained its decision was the result of the NASL's continued failure to meet agreed-upon league standards, particularly that "(d)espite multiple chances, NASL has not even come up with a plan for eventual compliance with the Division II standards." On September 19, 2017, NASL filed suit against U.S. Soccer citing antitrust violations related to
26970-514: The top six clubs, with the first and second-ranked teams receiving a bye until the semi-final round. The bottom four competed in a knockout round before advancing to the semi-finals. Both the semi-final and the final rounds were played over two-legs, the winner advancing on aggregate goals. In July 2013, NASL teams took advantage of the break afforded by the new split-season schedule to host several international friendlies, including several matches against Mexican, Brazilian, and Guatemalan teams, while
27144-414: The total number of French speakers will reach approximately 500 million in 2025 and 650 million by 2050, largely due to rapid population growth in sub-Saharan Africa . OIF estimates 700 million French speakers by 2050, 80% of whom will be in Africa. In a study published in March 2014 by Forbes , the investment bank Natixis said that French could become the world's most spoken language by 2050. In
27318-673: The two official languages—along with Dutch —of the Brussels-Capital Region , where it is spoken by the majority of the population (approx. 80%), often as their primary language. French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, along with German, Italian, and Romansh , and is spoken in the western part of Switzerland, called Romandy , of which Geneva is the largest city. The language divisions in Switzerland do not coincide with political subdivisions, and some cantons have bilingual status: for example, cities such as Biel/Bienne and cantons such as Valais , Fribourg and Bern . French
27492-508: The urban intellectual elite. The Gaulish language likely survived into the sixth century in France despite considerable Romanization . Coexisting with Latin, Gaulish helped shape the Vulgar Latin dialects that developed into French contributing loanwords and calques (including oui , the word for "yes"), sound changes shaped by Gaulish influence, and influences in conjugation and word order. Recent computational studies suggest that early gender shifts may have been motivated by
27666-479: The use of French in official government publications, public education except in specific cases, and legal contracts; advertisements must bear a translation of foreign words. In Belgium, French is an official language at the federal level along with Dutch and German. At the regional level, French is the sole official language of Wallonia (excluding a part of the East Cantons , which are German-speaking ) and one of
27840-421: The winner of each group advancing to the knockout stage, the Impact went undefeated in the group stage with 3 wins and a draw to win the group. Quarterfinals In the quarterfinals, the Impact took an early 2–0 lead against Pachuca in the first leg at Estadio Hidalgo but the Mexican club fought back to draw the game 2-2. Despite the Impact's inability to hold the lead, the 2 away goals gave the Impact an edge for
28014-531: The workplace. In 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business, after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese . In English-speaking Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, French is the first foreign language taught and in number of pupils is far ahead of other languages. In the United States, French is the second-most commonly taught foreign language in schools and universities, although well behind Spanish. In some areas of
28188-402: The world's French-speaking population lives in Africa. According to a 2023 estimate from the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie , an estimated 167 million African people spread across 35 countries and territories can speak French as either a first or a second language . This number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as
28362-441: The worldwide pandemic, I was unable to see my children. Unfortunately due to the ongoing restrictions and the fact that we will have to relocate to the U.S. again for several months will be no different. The separation is too much of a strain for me and my kids. Therefore, it is with much sadness that I must take the decision to return to London and leave CF Montreal." Following Henry's abrupt departure, assistant coach Wilfried Nancy
28536-417: Was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the ( Germanic ) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to the French colonial empire , there are numerous French-based creole languages , most notably Haitian Creole . A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French. French
28710-439: Was awarded an MLS contract. 2012 season On March 10, 2012, the Impact played their inaugural MLS game, a 2–0 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC . A week later, the club made its home debut at the Olympic Stadium against the Chicago Fire , the game ending in a 1–1 draw. The match attracted 58,912 spectators, surpassing the previous record for professional soccer in Montréal established in a 1981 Montreal Manic home game against
28884-531: Was during the period of the Crusades in which French became so dominant in the Mediterranean Sea that became a lingua franca ("Frankish language"), and because of increased contact with the Arabs during the Crusades who referred to them as Franj , numerous Arabic loanwords entered French, such as amiral (admiral), alcool (alcohol), coton (cotton) and sirop (syrop), as well as scientific terms such as algébre (algebra), alchimie (alchemy) and zéro (zero). Within Old French many dialects emerged but
29058-405: Was founded in 2009, and began play in 2011 with eight teams. From 2013 through 2017, the NASL used a split-season schedule running from April to early November, with a four-week break in July. The spring and fall champions, along with the two teams with best combined spring/fall records met in a four-team single-elimination tournament known as The Championship . The winner of the final claimed
29232-400: Was gradually adopted by the inhabitants of Gaul. As the language was learned by the common people, it developed a distinct local character, with grammatical differences from Latin as spoken elsewhere, some of which is attested in graffiti. This local variety evolved into the Gallo-Romance tongues, which include French and its closest relatives, such as Arpitan . The evolution of Latin in Gaul
29406-469: Was known in the Occitan-speaking region as Vergonha . Spoken by 19.71% of the European Union's population, French is the third most widely spoken language in the EU, after English and German and the second-most-widely taught language after English. Under the Constitution of France , French has been the official language of the Republic since 1992, although the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts made it mandatory for legal documents in 1539. France mandates
29580-406: Was named interim head coach and following an impressive start to his first season, Nancy was made permanent and his contract renewed in May 2021 as head coach for 2022. CF Montréal finished the 2022 MLS season in second place in the Eastern Conference and third place overall, the club's highest finish since their inaugural 2012 season in MLS. The club set a total of 8 new club records including for
29754-435: Was not retained by commissioner Don Garber . In response to Vancouver's successful bid in March 2009, Impact GM Nick De Santis commented that he expected chairman Saputo to pursue and realize his vision of Montreal as an MLS franchise someday. By May 16, 2009, the Montreal Gazette reported Garber and Saputo had resumed talks for an expansion team to begin play in 2011. On May 7, 2010, Garber and Saputo announced Montreal as
29928-425: Was played at Stade Saputo in front of a crowd of 13,034. The Impact won the first seven editions of the Voyageurs Cup , the domestic trophy for professional soccer in Canada awarded to the best Canadian team in the USL First Division, from 2002 to 2007. Since 2008, the trophy has been awarded to the winner of the Canadian Championship . The Impact won the first edition of the competition in 2008 which qualified
30102-411: Was shaped by its coexistence for over half a millennium beside the native Celtic Gaulish language , which did not go extinct until the late sixth century, long after the fall of the Western Roman Empire . The population remained 90% indigenous in origin; the Romanizing class were the local native elite (not Roman settlers), whose children learned Latin in Roman schools. At the time of the collapse of
30276-437: Was the language they use the most at home rose from 67% at the 2007 census to 74% at the 2017 census. In Wallis and Futuna, the percentage of the population who reported that French was the language they use the most at home rose from 10% at the 2008 census to 13% at the 2018 census. According to a demographic projection led by the Université Laval and the Réseau Démographie de l'Agence universitaire de la Francophonie ,
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