When Josef Martínez goes, everything goes. The Venezuelan’s double allowed CF Montreal to win 3-0 against a catastrophic San Jose Earthquakes team on Saturday evening at Saputo stadium.
With this victory, a third in four games, Laurent Courtois’ men remain at the height of the race for the series.
To be honest, they had no room for error. San Jose, by far the worst team in the league, delivered an abysmal performance. Particularly in the second half, after Martínez’s two goals in the 51ste and the 55e minute, the shoulders of his players dropped, their anger, already light, was dispersed.
Martínez’s first, from a corner, allowed the supporters to breathe a sigh of relief. It was also a 16e full house for the CFM this season, by far a club record: the previous mark of 10 consecutive sold-out matches dated from 2016.
PHOTO PETER MCCABE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Josef Martinez
His second was the last gesture of a collective movement of great quality.
The third, put on by Caden Clark at the mouth on a pass from his friend Bryce Duke in the 72ndestamped Montreal’s domination of this match.
For Clark, it was his third goal in six games, in addition to his two assists. He is a new man since his arrival in Montreal.
In the first period, Josef Martínez had very good opportunities to quickly end the debate, notably in quick succession in the 37the and 38e. But he certainly won’t complain about finishing the evening with two goals which put him at the top of the club’s scorers list, with 8.
ON THE RISE
George Campbell
Campbell found his way. The 23-year-old American has inspired confidence in his teammates for several matches. He was solid in a major defensive withdrawal at the start of the match, an escape which could have quickly dampened the enthusiasm of the CFM and its fans.
FALLING
Sunusi Ibrahim
It’s a little unfair for Ibrahim to include him in this section when he hasn’t stepped on the pitch since the 5-0 against New England on August 25. But precisely: with the rise of Josef Martínez and the arrival of a new offensive weapon like Caden Clark, he is relegated to an extra role in this squad. Until Saturday evening, the Nigerian was co-leader in goals scored, with 6. He can’t even use that argument anymore.