The 1st Half

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with Franco Lipari who is the CEO and co-founder of Soccer iQ, which helps youth footballers develop their skills with cutting-edge technology and coaching. They talk about what inspired the creation of Soccer iQ, the first training facility they opened in Laval, how the company expanded and opened other training facilities across the city and much more. Paul b...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with Tanya Boychuk, co-captain of the Montreal Roses. Together, they’ll dive into how she began playing soccer in Edmonton, joining the Ukrainian women’s national team and the value of the NSL. Paul breaks down this week’s hot topics including England’s world cup roster, Arsenal winning the Premier League, David Beckham becoming a billionaire...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with CF Montreal midfielder Matty Longstaff as they talk about Matty growing up in England, being apart of Newcastle United’s academy, what it was like when he made his debut with Newcastle in 2019, his journey to the MLS, playing for Toronto FC, what life has been like since coming to Montreal, and much more. Paul breaks down this week’s hot topics...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with former Belgian footballer Laurent Ciman. They talk about Laurent’s experience representing Belgium at the National level, what it was like playing in Europe, becoming an assistant manager with FC Supra, the importance of the mental side of the game and dealing with pressure, his experience with Club Brugge and predictions for the World Cup. Paul also spea...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with Chef Richie Ourichian, the owner of Segreta Pizzeria. They talk about being born in Beirut and coming to Canada, his journey to becoming a chef and opening his own restaurant, the importance of community, how he developed a love for Italy’s national soccer team, being a Lazio supporter, the excitement building around the World Cup and much more. Paul brea...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with former CF Montreal midfielder Patrick Leduc as they talk about how his upbringing in football, what it was like representing CFM for a decade, being a color analyst for RDS after his career, football’s growth in Canada, why he’s optimistic about Canada at the World Cup and much more. Paul breaks down this week’s hot topics including, Italy bea...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down Chole Minas, midfielder for the Montreal Roses, they talk about what the inaugural season was like for the team, how she got into football, how she pursued to play university football for the University of Pittsburgh, playing in Sweden for Växjö DFF, the importance of fans and much more. Paul breaks down this week’s hot topics including, FC Supr...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with musician PY Letellier as they talk about PY’s upbringing in hockey, joining The Damn Truth and their upcoming tour, the difficulties of balancing life while touring, their hot sauce collaboration with Papa Cochon how he developed a love for football, transitioning from a Tottenham Hotspur fan to a Manchester City fan, the growth of football throughout Can...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with Anthony Corneli, the assistant coach of FC Supra. They talk about his journey of becoming a coach, growing up a Juventus fan, the impact Eric Cantona had on him, his work coaching in the Trinidad Premier League, the passion for fútbol in North America still needing to grow, how FC Supra can help grow the game and much more.

Paul breaks down this wee...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with Laura Armstrong, the Vice President of Communications and Business integration for CSME, they talk about her starting her career in journalism, working for the Toronto Star, how she got to the CSME, their latest deal with Canada soccer, trying to grow the game throughout the country, the upcoming CPL season, how she became an Arsenal fan, the evolution of the w...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with FC Supra forward Sean Rea as they talk about Rea’s journey to becoming a professional footballer, his upbringing in Saint-Leonard, playing for his hometown club with CF Montreal, the excitement of FC Supra’s inaugural season and having a CPL team in Québéc what his expectations are, the hype around the 2026 World Cup and much more.&nbs...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with FC Supra forward and midfielder David Choinière. They talk about, how David got into playing soccer, competition in the house with his brother Mathieu, being a 4x CPL champion with Forge FC, the decision to comeback home and represent FC Supra, the excitement surrounding the Supra’s inaugural season and much more. Paul breaks down this week&rs...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with Kyt Selaidopoulos, the Assistant Coach and Director of Youth football at Forge FC, he is also the Head Coach of Canada’s national Futsal team. They talk about, his upbringing in Montreal, Owning KS inc. getting into soccer and playing abroad, getting the call to coaching in the CPL with Forge FC, what it’s like leading Canada’s futsal team, th...

This week on The 1st Half Culture Show, Paul Desbaillets sits down with former footballer and now Executive Advisor for FC Supra Nick De Santis, they talk about Nick’s journey to becoming a footballer, why he choose to pursue football over hockey, being surrounded by good coaching, representing the Canadian National team, his best and worst moments on the pitch, getting inducted to the Quebec Soccer Hall of Fame and much more...