MONTREAL — Samuel Piette had an earlier start to his season than most of his Montreal Impact teammates. In January, the midfielder flew to Irvine, Calif. to play three friendlies with the Canadian men’s national team.
In two of the three games, Piette had the honor of wearing the captain’s armband. This was a first for the native of Repentigny, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal.
“You don’t really realize it when you’re on the pitch because you’re the captain of 11 guys on the pitch and 23 on the roster,” Piette said. “But especially after the game when you think about it, you were the captain of millions of people, representing the country.