The 2020 UNIFIED SEASON gives way to the PLAY UNIFIED initiative
MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact is proud to continue its engagement with Special Olympics Quebec, despite the cancellation of the 2020 UNIFIED SEASON against Toronto FC due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the PLAY UNIFIED initiative, Montreal and Toronto will face off in a virtual, friendly competition, composed of weekly challenges between members of both clubs, taking place between October 8 to 14.
The Montreal Impact side will be composed of six athletes selected by Special Olympics Quebec (OSQ) and six unified partners stemming from the Montreal Impact Academy, while six athletes selected by Special Olympics Ontario and six unified partners from the TFC Academy will represent Toronto FC.
Lundon Durand-Browne (U23), Yannick Laurent (U23), Maxime Bourgeois (U23), Abdel-Malick Daouda (U17), Maël Henry (U17) and Nassim Nouajaa (U17) will be the six unified partners for Montreal. Catherine Potvin, Audrey Savard, Léo Soudin, Gabriel Thériault, Marc-André Hevey and Joel Jones Huapaya are the six athletes from Special Olympics Quebec.
The results of each weekly challenge will be compiled over four weeks of competition and the team having won the most challenges will be crowned champions of the competition. You can access the squad, the challenges, the results and the standings here.
The objective of this initiative is to offer athletes the opportunity to live a different and unique experience, while also offering additional motivation to work out and keep moving. It also offers our unified partners an opportunity to get involved in the community and become exposed to diversity. The players involved commit to a collaborative, open, and sharing experience. Other than being a teammate, they will also have the role of accompanying and guiding their assigned athlete.
The MLS and the Impact are committed to putting diversity, equality, and inclusion at every level of the sport to the forefront and will continue to support programs that increase accessibility to soccer to promote an active and healthy lifestyle.
