"You have to say that the season as a whole was a good one. We may not have achieved everything we wanted but it's normal. We're going to have some serious discussions. It's important for the future that the club move forward and that everyone is going in the same direction.”

When it comes to our head coach,” Saputo continued, bringing up the hot topic of the week. “We have not yet come to a decision. It is too early to say if Marco Schallibaum is the man for the job in 2014. We had an excellent discussion with Marco yesterday, but we do not want to rush to judgement. Marco is a passionate coach who allowed the group to experience both the best and the worst but the important thing is that we realize we need to continue to improve this team and what we need to keep working to see how that can be done.

“Above all statistics,” Saputo enthused, “Marco is player who has proven his worth by his presence in the locker room and his leadership with our young players and, even at 37, he is a true professional and still has the desire to win.

But, the bulk of the Impact supporters in the stands when the team goes on the road Aug. 21 to face CD Heredia will likely be from a little closer to Guatemala City than to La Belle Province.

The provincial premier, who leads the separatist Parti Quebecois, stated Tuesday that the Canadian Soccer Association had no right to suspend the QSF, and that the provincial soccer federation has the dominion over the provinces’s footballing affairs.

The dump of an American — the kind of hard-working-but-hard-to-remember player that so many MLS teams have in abundance — is a sign of how the Impact will challenge the league status quo.

MLS and USL will hold a joint conference call Thursday to announce more details. But, from the release issued Wednesday: “For 2013, the partnership will include interleague play between USL PRO and MLS Reserve League teams, and the establishment of several exclusive team affiliations.”

“I would like to thank Joey and Nick. Who have shown confidence in me,” Schallibaum began. “When you receive something you have to give something back so it is up to me to now do everything needed to ensure the team has success."

Coaching is never a stable job, but outside of Toronto FC, it’s hard to think of a club where the gaffer is on a more precarious perch than in Montreal.

"While we have the same long-term objectives for this organization we realized over the past few weeks that we do not share the same philosophy on how to get there.”