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In February, Impact owner Joey Saputo talked about his Major League Soccer team losing its “buzz” in Montreal, selling only 5,000 season tickets, and then looked on as 61,004 people filled the Big O at the end of April to watch his team lose to Mexico’s Club America in the CONCACAF Champions League final. Since then, the Impact has played four MLS home games at beautiful Saputo Stadium — which would be more beautiful if it was closer to downtown — and the biggest crowd was 13,020, with a low of 10,035. Ticket prices at Saputo Stadium, which has a capacity of 20,801, range from $25 to $82.

Molson Stadium is still the most beautiful spot in the city to watch a sporting event, which is one of the reasons why the Alouettes added 5,000 new seats in time for the 2010 Canadian Football League season, boosting capacity to just over 25,000. Now the Alouettes can’t sell all those seats, with an average attendance of 20,675 last season. A season-low 15,107 showed up to watch the Als beat the B.C. Lions in the CFL Eastern Conference semifinal playoff game.

Ticket prices for the Alouettes this season range in price from $36 to $125.

Mayor Denis Coderre has dreams of bringing Major League Baseball back to Montreal along with a new stadium. But if the Impact is having trouble selling tickets for 17 home games each season and the Alouettes for nine home games, selling 81 baseball games a year in this city would be a huge challenge.

Especially when there won’t be any more $5 tickets and $1 hot dog nights like the old days with the Expos at the Big O.

scowan@montrealgazette.com

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