Montreal Major League Soccer team drops Impact nickname

(AP Photo/Stew Milne)

MONTREAL (AP) Montreal's Major League Soccer team is dropping its Impact nickname.

The team said Thursday it will rebrand as Club de Foot Montreal and go without a formal nickname, in the style of European clubs.

"I understand how you feel. I love the Impact," owner Joey Saputo said during a news conference. "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."

The club replaced the Impact's shield logo with a round black badge rimmed with blue and featuring a grey snowflake. Designer Justin Kingsley said the creative team wanted to hearken back to the 1976 Montreal Olympics and Expo 67.

The team also has a new slogan: "droit devant (always forward)."

Montreal made its MLS debut in 2012.

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Updated January 14, 2021