Well, it's been a brutal year for Montreal's winter passion, and while there isn't the prospect of playoffs on the horizon for the Canadiens, Montreal area fans have something to get excited about this spring: the arrival of Major League Soccer. The Impact are now in the big leagues of North American soccer, and their season starts this weekend on the road against the Vancouver Whitecaps. The home field action begins next week at Olympic Stadium vs. the Chicago Fire, which promises to be an event to be at for sure. The atmosphere should be exciting as the team hopes to draw a similar crowd to what Toronto FC drew for this week's Champions League game against the LA Galaxy at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

We at SB Nation are even more pleased to be able to welcome a second blog for the Montreal area on our network with the arrival of Mount Royal Soccer. Go say 'Bienvenue' over here and join up for discussion on all things Impact. Follow them on Twitter here @MtRoyalSoccer as well.

Get excited, Montreal.