Aerosmith sings Dream On through the speakers. The boxes of linen to be donated are stacked and distributed to the work tables. CF Montreal employees are busy sorting them. Among them, Nathan Saliba and Samuel Piette, who tackle the task with the seriousness they are known for.
We are at the Welcome Hall Mission, on this sunny Wednesday in December. It was the CFM which took the initiative to organize this volunteer activity, with the holiday season approaching.
Piette and Saliba, two local players, did not hesitate for a second before agreeing to take part.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to give back,” Saliba told La Presse, taking a break from sorting through underwear to chat with us.
He also remembers coming exactly here, to this location in the southwest of Montreal, when he was in high school.
“It’s something that touched me when I did it,” said the Longueuil native. I’m extremely happy to do it again. »
We chat with Samuel Piette in a door frame. He wears a Welcome Hall Mission sweater over the blue CF Montreal jersey with which he arrived. Behind him, the sorting of pants continues. Nearby, other volunteers move wooden pallets. By our side, a cargo of small onions.
“I think it’s one of the club’s main values,” says the CFM co-captain. To be close to the community, to give back. We, the players, the community, that’s what drives us. […] If we are able to make gestures off the field, to show our human side, to show that we are not just soccer players, robots, I think that is important. »
“It might seem mundane” to sort clothes and food for a few hours, he said. “But if we are able to give that little something extra, happiness for a certain time, that sure makes us happy. »
Samuel Watts, president and CEO of the organization, which has existed since 1892, emphasizes that this type of activity on the part of a professional club achieves two goals.
First, the donations prepared on Wednesday will be distributed within a few weeks “to several locations around the city.”
But secondly, “for the people who help, it gives a feeling of belonging to a community that is supportive.”
“There’s no us and them,” Watts says. It’s just us. […] It is an essential part of our humanity. Generosity, helping others. In the end, we are all neighbors. »
Piette returns from vacation with her family. Recent news from CF Montreal, such as the end of Romell Quioto’s contract and the option exercises of other of his teammates? “Honestly, I more or less followed that,” he says.
It’s because he really picked up, without looking at his phone, or almost. “It did a lot of good for me and my family. »
However, he agrees that the big news he is waiting for will be that of the hiring of the new head coach. As co-captain of the team, is he consulted?
“No, I don’t have a say. If [Olivier Renard and Vassili Cremanzidis] want to have my point of view, certainly, I would be happy to share it. »
And what would his opinion be, exactly?
Piette would like his team to return to a style of play that allows them to “create things at the defensive level, which presses. A team that is not afraid to play.”
A bit like he did two years ago, under Wilfried Nancy.
As for Nathan Saliba, he considers Quioto’s departure a “loss.” “He took up a lot of space in the locker room. He wasn’t shy with anyone, he could talk to everyone. »
But he adds that the team has “attackers who are up to the challenge.” He mentions the names of Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, Sunusi Ibrahim and Chinonso Offor. “There are sure to be more coming. »
Piette will be at his chalet with friends on Saturday afternoon and does not plan to watch the MLS Cup final between Maxime Crépeau’s LAFC and Wilfried Nancy’s Crew.
Nathan Saliba, yes. With all Quebecers and former Montrealers taking part in the final, is he biased? “No, I’m staying neutral! »
“It’s a very good thing,” said the midfielder about the many former soccer artisans between now and the final. As much for Quebecers and Montrealers as for the MLS as such. These are two very good teams on paper facing each other. It’s going to be a very good final. »
