Dor Turgeman's equalizer for New England Revolution at CF Montréal on Saturday night should have been the highlight of his week. Instead, the Israeli forward's goal celebration touched off ugly scenes at Stade Saputo that are still being argued over long after the final whistle.
New England trailed twice in Montreal before Turgeman's finish made it 2-2, and rather than wheel away toward his own bench, he ran to plant himself in front of the home end. Bottles were thrown down at him from the stands, according to Sport5's report on the match.
The confrontation escalated when CF Montréal goalkeeper Sebastian Breza went after Turgeman and shoved him, drawing a roar of approval from the Montreal crowd behind his goal. The referee's response was a yellow card, nothing more, for a physical reaction Sport5 said many home supporters felt was fully justified.
According to Sport5, the abuse aimed at Turgeman went beyond the shove. The outlet cited reporter Caleb Fungres as saying fans near the visitors' section could be heard directing hostile chants at the Israeli international through the match, including the phrase "death to Israel," alongside other insults.
English-language soccer commentator Ross Goldman was quoted condemning the scenes outright: "What happened tonight in Montreal ... is racism and has no place anywhere."
Sport5 described the fallout since as a genuine mess, with online reaction split rather than uniformly sympathetic to Turgeman. Much of the criticism online, the outlet reported, has been directed at the player's provocative celebration rather than at the fans who threw objects and chanted at him, with Montreal's supporters drawing the greater share of public backing.
Turgeman, 22 and born in Ashdod, joined New England from Maccabi Tel Aviv last year through the MLS U22 Initiative and has become a regular fixture in the Revolution's attack. He has also become a fixture for Israel, collecting caps for the senior national team and scoring in November's World Cup qualifier against Moldova.
The draw itself was rescued for Montreal by a late strike from Brayan Vera, according to La Presse's coverage of the match, meaning both sides walked away with a point from a night that will be remembered far more for what happened in the stands than for anything in the 2-2 scoreline.
Neither CF Montréal nor MLS had issued a formal statement on the chants or the confrontation as of publication, and Sport5's account of the specific abuse directed at Turgeman has not yet been independently corroborated by Canadian outlets covering the match.
