Major League Soccer opened an investigation Monday into reported antisemitic and discriminatory language aimed at New England Revolution striker Dor Turgeman by CF Montreal fans during Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Saputo Stadium. The 22-year-old Israeli scored in the 35th minute, cupped a hand to his ear toward the home section, and watched cups and bottles fly onto the pitch before Montreal goalkeeper Sebastian Breza shoved him and drew a yellow card.
The Revolution immediately reported the incident. MLS said it has spoken with both clubs and that hateful language has no place in the league or the sport.
The Goal and the Cups on the Pitch
Turgeman finished a move that put New England ahead 2-0. Broadcast audio and fan videos captured sections of the Montreal support chanting against Israel, including reports of “Death to Israel” and “free Palestine.” He walked the length of the stand with arms outstretched then the ear cup. Objects rained down. Breza left his line, confronted the scorer, and pushed him to the ground.
Video of the sequence circulated widely within hours. One widely shared clip from the night shows the shove and the yellow card that followed. Attendees and Jewish advocacy accounts described the chants as sustained rather than isolated. The match finished level after Montreal recovered two goals.
- 35th minute: Turgeman goal makes it 2-0 Revolution
- Immediate celebration directed at home supporters section
- Objects thrown onto the field near the goal
- Breza confrontation and yellow card
- Final score 2-2
CF Montreal said Sunday it was reviewing the matter in contact with the league and the Revolution and does not tolerate discrimination or hateful behaviour of any kind. The club’s initial public note did not name Turgeman or label the language antisemitic.
New England Signed a Proven Israeli Scorer
Turgeman arrived from Maccabi Tel Aviv in August 2025 under the MLS U22 Initiative on a deal through 2028 with a 2029 option. Born in Ashdod and raised there, he came through the Maccabi youth ranks after time at FC Ashdod. He helped Maccabi win consecutive Israeli Premier League titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Club records list 145 career professional appearances and 36 goals across Maccabi and a loan at Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam, plus 15 assists. He has senior caps for Israel, scored in World Cup qualifying, and appeared at the 2024 Paris Olympics. With the Revolution he scored in each of his first three MLS appearances in 2025, becoming the 10th player in league history to do so, and entered the 2026 season as a regular starter.
Stats snapshot (club figures updated mid-2026):
- MLS: 17 appearances, 16 starts, 5 goals, 4 assists
- Israel senior: multiple caps, goals in qualifying
- Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 179 pounds
- Shirt: 99
He shares the Revolution roster with fellow Israeli Ilay Feingold, another Maccabi product. The pair have spoken publicly about finding a connection to home in Foxborough.
MLS Already Wrote the Ban Into Its Code
The league’s Fan Code of Conduct already lists the behaviour described. It prohibits prohibited discriminatory language and gestures on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion and other protected categories. Throwing objects is separately banned. Level 1 offenses that are extremely disruptive or dangerous, or repeated violations within 12 months, carry a minimum six-month ban from MLS matches, up to a year, plus ejection without refund and possible season-ticket revocation.
| Conduct | Code status | Potential sanction |
|---|---|---|
| Discriminatory language or gestures (national origin, religion, ethnicity) | Explicitly prohibited | Ejection, ticket loss, 6-month to 1-year ban for severe/repeat |
| Throwing objects onto field | Prohibited | Same range; Level 1 if dangerous |
| Threatening or violent behaviour toward players | Prohibited | Ejection and multi-month ban |
| Political signs/flags outside exemptions | Restricted post-2023 | Removal, possible further penalties |
After the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, MLS banned both Israeli and Palestinian flags from venues league-wide, with exemptions only when an Israeli or Palestinian player is on a roster. That rule remains. In February 2025 the league publicly condemned anti-Israel social posts by an LAFC investor who later apologized. The code and the flag policy show the league has already tried to draw bright lines. The Montreal night tested whether those lines hold when a player scores and answers the noise.
Clubs Issued Uneven Statements
The Revolution’s Monday statement was direct. The club said it would strongly condemn the antisemitic and discriminatory abuse directed at Turgeman by CF Montreal supporters. It reported the incident at once, stands with the player, and hopes those responsible are held accountable. “Antisemitism and all forms of hate have no place in our sport, our stadiums, or our communities,” the club wrote.
There is zero tolerance for abuse, harassment, or discrimination in our game, and this behavior must be unequivocally condemned. The entire Revolution organization stands with Dor. No player should ever be subjected to abuse because of their race, ethnicity, religion, or identity.
The statement was issued by the New England Revolution. Montreal’s earlier note stressed zero tolerance for discrimination or hateful behaviour and a fact-finding process without using the words antisemitic or naming the forward. Advocacy accounts on X noted the difference in language and specificity. Hen Mazzig posted video of the goal and ear-cup celebration with the line that Turgeman teased the “death to Israel” chanters, drawing thousands of likes and shares that framed the moment as Israeli spirit under fire.
Crowd reaction mixed anger at the chants with debate over the shove. Some replies called the yellow card soft and the celebration earned. Others treated the episode as further evidence that Canadian stadiums have absorbed diaspora tensions that European grounds have faced for years.
Israeli Players and Canadian Crowds Share the Fallout
Turgeman is the most visible target, but the circle is wider. Jewish fans at Saputo and across MLS Canadian markets now weigh whether a night out risks the same language. Montreal’s large Jewish community and the city’s recent history of other antisemitic incidents form the local backdrop. For the Revolution the episode lands on a young U22 signing still building his MLS reputation and national-team pathway.
Israeli talent has begun to appear more often in North American leagues. Feingold’s presence alongside Turgeman is one data point. Any perception that clubs or the league cannot protect players from national-origin abuse raises the cost of the next transfer conversation. CF Montreal faces the practical job of identifying individuals from video, applying the code, and showing supporters that chants of death to a country will cost tickets. The league’s brand rests partly on how major leagues generate revenue through safe, family-friendly atmospheres; repeated hate incidents undercut that pitch.
- Player safety and mental load for the targeted athlete
- Match-day experience for Jewish and Israeli supporters
- Recruitment attractiveness of MLS for Israeli prospects
- Enforcement credibility of CF Montreal and the league office
- Broader Canadian soccer image amid diaspora politics
No bans or fines have been announced. The investigation is live.
Soccer’s Older Pattern Reaches North America
Antisemitism has long shadowed European soccer through banners, songs, and abuse aimed at Jewish clubs or Israeli teams and fans. Post-2023 spikes included attacks on Israeli supporters in cities such as Amsterdam. North American leagues once seemed insulated by distance and different fan cultures. The flag ban of late 2023 and the 2025 investor reprimand already showed the politics had crossed the Atlantic. Turgeman’s night in Montreal is the pitch-level version: an Israeli player scores, the stands answer with death chants, objects fly, and a keeper loses control.
MLS wrote the rules years ago and tightened political displays after October 2023. The probe will now decide whether those rules produce real bans or only statements. Turgeman returned to training and the Revolution schedule. The next Montreal home crowd will show whether the section that chanted has absorbed the message or simply waited for the cameras to leave.
The league says hateful language has no place. The video from Saputo shows it still found one.
