So, on Tuesday, when Saputo pledged to turn over control of the team to new president Kevin Gilmore, it marked a massive change in direction. Cynics — myself included — will wonder just how long this kind of arrangement can last.

Granitto comes from a sporting family. He was born in El Salvador to Argentine parents. His father, Gustavo, ran a tennis academy and had been assigned by the International Tennis Federation to Central America to help develop the game there. Granitto lived in El Salvador till he was five, then his family moved to the United States. Granitto would excel at soccer and would play his way onto the roster at Florida Gulf Coast University, and helped that team to its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.

This is the thing. Your leagues — Serie A, La Liga and, yes, even the English Championship — they’re the hot girl who treated you like crap in high school but you kept trying to talk to her anyway. You’d fall over yourself to watch those games, even though those leagues sold their Canadian rights to a broadcaster that didn’t have a Canadian licence.

The gimmick got Di Vaio to the All-Star Game. But is it really all that more gimmicky than the homer-laden fan votes that we so often see decide All-Star selections in all the major sports?

And, well, after Madrid, there aren’t many other opponents you can bring in that will raise the bar. Even a big English or German or Italian side will feel like seeing a bar band after you’ve had the chance to teleport to 1968 and see the Stones live in the flesh.

In fact, Bologna didn’t use the term “loan,” but “transfer on a provisional basis.” So, for De Santis and co., it’s a case of try before you buy.

The Montreal Impact concluded its Italian tour of friendlies with a 1-0 win Thursday over Fiorentina.

The Montreal Impact continued its postseason tour of Italy with a 4-1 win over Fiorentina’s reserve side.

For fans of the Montreal Impact, Thursday’s exhibition loss to Bologna was part of the team’s post-MLS season cool down. For fans of FC Edmonton, it was a chance to see if midfielder Bryan Arguez will fit into the MLS team’s plans for 201

“I think that the energy, effort and commitment that everyone showed from the top to the bottom was at a very high level and something to be very proud of but, in the end it’s a results-oriented business and for me, especially considering the way the season ended, it wasn’t good enough,” declared the first-year gaffer.