Monday was an historic day for the Montreal Impact, as the club opened its first training camp as a member of Major League Soccer.
After months of paperwork and preparation, the Montreal Impact took their new uniforms and new attitudes to the Marie-Victorin Sports Complex for their inaugural training camp and an MLS team.
"It's a good first day," said Jesse March, the Impact's head coach. "There's a lot of positive energy and you can see that the group is ready, fit and excited."
The road to the MLS also featured controversy for the team, as the club's top pick in the expansion draft, Brian Ching, initially refused to report to Montreal.
Ching, 33, has since changed his mind, choosing to join his new teammates.
"I was disappointed the way it went down, yes, of course," said the 10-year veteran forward, who was captain and all-time scoring leader of the Houston Dynamo.
"I wanted to open up the (new) stadium in Houston, but I'm here now and I'm going to make the best of the situation… I'm a professional and sometimes you don't always get what you want . Over the past two months, I've come to cope with that and now play for my teammates and the fans."
The saga between Ching, Montreal and Houston may not be over, however. Talks to trade Ching back to the Dynamo are not dead yet.
"I do eventually want to retire in a Dynamo uniform at the end of the year, and hopefully we can accomplish that," he said.
