At the beginning of the year, no one at CF Montreal would have circled the September 18 game on their calendar. But with what happened a little over three weeks ago, the pencil stroke became appropriate.
Professional sports seasons are long and defeats are inevitable, but some of them hurt more than others. The Bleu-blanc-noir did not escape a few humiliations on opposing pitches, but they had fared rather well at home.
Until the New England Revolution (8-16-3) paid a little visit to Saputo Stadium.
In front of a packed house, Montreal saw their own fans turn on them in a crushing 5-0 loss to the Revolution on Aug. 24. That defeat, combined with a 4-1 loss to Cincinnati seven days later, not only sent some loyalists flying off the ship, but it seemed to cast doubt on Laurent Courtois’ future at the helm of the team and the unity within the group.
The MLS schedule has however done things well and CF Montreal (7-12-9) will be able to take its revenge in Foxborough, Wednesday evening, after having returned to the path of victory on Saturday, against Charlotte FC.
“There is a little feeling of revenge, but it is mainly in relation to ourselves. It was a key moment during the season during which we let ourselves down and we let the fans down,” explained Courtois, Tuesday, before a training session at the Nutrilait Centre.
“There is this feeling of showing that the gap was not so big between the two teams. We are keen to show another face, but at the same time, we simply want to turn the page and not stay in the past.”
There are still some things to remember from this thaw. During the first half, the Bleu-blanc-noir players were victims of their weakness while during the second period, they simply went off the game plan.
In the weeks that followed, Courtois and his staff worked to ensure their players maintained a high level of effort while remaining disciplined in their team play. They looked better a few times in Cincinnati before offering a much more complete performance against Charlotte FC.
“If you don’t learn from your mistakes, you’re going to repeat them. We had to learn from this defeat. We worked hard on the tactical side during the international break [de septembre] and you have to give everything for 90 minutes. The defeat against them was painful and we looked at ourselves in the mirror. It was important for us,” defender Fernando Alvarez said.
In the race for the series
If the past is any indication of the future, the Montreal team should not savor its revenge. Courtois’s team has only won twice abroad this season, the last of which was on March 10 in Miami. It will at least arrive at Gillette Stadium with a bit of momentum.
Unlike the duel against the Revolution, CF Montreal dictated the pace at Stade Saputo and eventually found the back of the net twice in about three minutes. Despite a response from Charlotte FC before the end of the first half, the club did not flinch and delivered one of its strong defensive performances of the campaign.
“We have to stay at the base and go back to what won us on Saturday. We often say that we have to work harder than the opponent in front of us and then our quality will come out. When we are confident, humble and we apply the little things, that is what it gives. We have to come with the mentality that yes, we won this weekend, but we want more,” insisted defender Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty.
Against Charlotte FC, the duo of Caden Clark and Bryce Duke showed a lot of creativity in the midfield. Both players also threaded the needle. Up front, veteran Josef Martinez created a little more space while being a threat in the penalty area.
Courtois may have just found a combination that will allow him to bring more attack for the rest of things.
“We had talked about finding a bit more time of possession and having a bit more numbers in the penalty area. We wanted to be there for the second balls and the second phases of action. They showed some interesting things,” he analyzed.
With a win, CF Montreal would temporarily join DC United in ninth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. There will then be only five games left to play.
“Everyone believes in the playoffs, I just don’t want us to hesitate or get carried away by petty egos. We have to contribute to finding solutions while putting our personal situations aside. I would like us to have certainties and not wait for results. That’s what happened Saturday,” said the head coach.