The 1st Half Culture Show

From the academy at Newcastle United F.C. to Premier League nights and now life in MLS, Matty Longstaff joins The 1st Half Culture Show for an honest conversation about the highs and realities of professional football.

Matty opens up about growing up in one of football’s most passionate cities, family influence, the pressure that comes with academy football, and his unforgettable debut goal against Manchester United F.C..

We also div...

Football doesn’t grow on the pitch alone — it grows through stories, voices, and community.

In this episode of The 1st Half Culture Show, Karim Mehdi shares his journey from athletic therapist to becoming a rising voice in football media, covering the game where it lives — at the grassroots and community level.

As host of On S’en Foot and commentator within Quebec’s football scene, Karim breaks down how media, storytelling, and digit...

What does it really take to perform at the highest level — and stay there?

In this episode of The 1st Half Culture Show, Laurent Ciman, former MLS Defender of the Year and current assistant coach at FC Supra du Québec, shares a raw and honest look into the mentality behind professional football.

From competing in Europe’s top leagues and experiencing the Champions League and World Cup environments, to leading in Major League ...

Step inside the world of Roman-style pizza with Richie Ourichian, founder of Segreta in Montreal. From his early days as a cobbler to becoming a master pizzaiolo, Richie shares his incredible journey, passion, and philosophy behind authentic pizza al taglio.Discover how 72–96 hour fermentation, high-hydration dough, and precision baking create crispy, airy, and flavorful Roman pizza. Richie also breaks down the real differences bet...

n this exclusive interview, former CF Montréal captain Patrice Bernier and entrepreneur Alexandre Kénol dive deep into football, community impact, and the future of Canadian soccer.From World Cup excitement to building opportunities for youth through the Patrice Bernier Foundation, this conversation explores how sport goes beyond the pitch.⚽ Topics covered:Canada’s rising stars & World Cup expectationsBuilding a legacy after pr...

Meet rising Canadian talent Chloe Minas, a defensive midfielder for the Montréal Roses, as she shares her incredible journey from Montreal to professional football in Sweden and back home.From her early days playing in Montreal to captaining at the University of Pittsburgh, Chloe built her path through hard work, resilience, and self-belief. She opens up about sending 100+ emails to coaches, creating her own highlight videos, and t...

Musician, sports fan, and community advocate PY Letellier joins the show to talk about the powerful connection between music, football, and community.Growing up in the small Québec town of La Tabatière, PY spent his childhood hunting, fishing, and playing hockey before eventually touring the world as the bass player for The Damn Truth.In this interview, he shares how sports shaped his life, why fans are essential to both music and ...

Montreal football culture runs deep — from Italian family Sundays to the ultras of Europe.In this powerful interview, Anthony Corneli, assistant coach at FC Supérieur, joins TSN 690 to share his incredible football journey. From growing up in Montreal’s Italian community to coaching in Trinidad’s military club system, this is a story about passion, resilience, and building football culture the right way.Anthony opens up about:- Sta...

Canadian soccer is entering a defining era — on the field and behind the scenes.

In this episode of The 1st Half Culture Show, Laura Armstrong, Vice President of Communications & Business Integration at Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment, joins us in studio to break down the rebranding of CSME, the evolution of the Canadian soccer ecosystem, and what this moment means with the World Cup on home soil.

A former Toronto Star ...

Midfielder Felicia Roy joins The First Half to share her journey to professional football, her rise with the Montreal Roses, and the rapid growth of women’s soccer in Canada through the NSL.From dreaming of becoming a professional at a young age, developing in the CF Montréal Academy, competing at the collegiate level with Champlain College, and breaking through in League1 Québec, Felicia opens up about discipline, mentality, and w...

⚽ From Laval to the Pro GameSean Rea shares his journey from growing up in Laval to signing for his boyhood club, CF Montréal. From kicking a ball around the backyard to making his MLS debut, Rea reflects on what it means to represent home at the highest level.🔥 Life Lessons From the PitchRea opens up about the realities of professional football — including a rare moment of being subbed off just minutes after coming on. He explain...

From obsession to silverware, this is the story of a player who lived and breathed the game. David Choiniere joins us in studio to talk about his journey through the Canadian Premier League, winning multiple championships with Forge FC, and his return to Quebec with FC Supra. David opens up about becoming obsessed with turning pro, the sacrifices required to make it, the importance of academies, supporter culture in the CPL, playin...

Football is more than a game.It’s music, food, fashion, community — and the stories that connect it all.The 1st Half is where football culture lives.From intimate conversations with artists, chefs, musicians, and athletes, to street-level voices in Football in the City, this channel explores how the game shapes — and is shaped by — culture around the world.Featuring guests like James Bay, George Stroumboulopoulos, Enter Shikari, An...

Quebec has a different football mentality, and that mindset is helping shape the future of the game in Canada.In this in-depth episode of The First Half, we sit down with Kyt Selaidopoulos, Assistant Coach and Director of Youth Football at Forge FC, Head Coach of Canada’s National Futsal Team, and one of the most respected football minds in the country.Kyt shares insight on the culture of football in Quebec, the evolution of the Ca...

In this exclusive in-studio interview, FC Supra head coach Nick Rosati shares his journey, philosophy and vision ahead of the club’s 2026 Canadian Premier League debut.

From starting on the sideline at 17 to learning from the NFL, NBA and hockey, Rosati explains why humility, ego management and man management are at the heart of his approach. He breaks down how to build a winning culture from day one, how to develop players the righ...

From Belgium’s academy system to the World Cup stage — resilience defined.
Team Canada defender Zorhan Bassong, now with Sporting Kansas City in MLS, joins Paul Desbaillets for a powerful conversation about sacrifice, identity, and rebuilding a career across continents.

Bassong opens up about:

• leaving Canada at 14 to pursue elite development in Belgium

• navigating the challenges of European football as a teenager abroad

• fighting ...

From sleeping in an abandoned church to sharing the pitch with Didier Drogba — this is the powerful, emotional, and inspiring true story of Novello Yoseke, a refugee turned professional footballer.Born in South Sudan, raised in a refugee camp in Egypt, and sponsored to Canada, Novello’s story is one of resilience, sacrifice, and passion. He went from playing barefoot to representing South Sudan’s National Team in World Cup and AFCO...

From the backyard to the big stage.
Team Canada and CF Montréal midfielder Mathieu Choinière joins The 1st Half Culture Show for a special Breville collaboration ahead of the Canada vs Ecuador friendly on November 12.

He opens up about his journey from Montreal’s academy to the national team, the lessons he learned from multi-sport training, and why “hard work beats talent” has guided every step of his career.

⚽ The 1st Half Cultu...

From the streets of Stuttgart to the spotlight in Montreal.
CF Montréal striker Prince Owusu joins Paul Desbaillets to talk about his journey — from Germany’s academy system to finding purpose, perseverance, and family through football.

The Guinean-German forward opens up about his early days in Stuttgart’s academy, lessons from Europe, and how he became one of CF Montréal’s most exciting players — finishing his first season with...