(Montreal) CF Montreal – and the Impact forward – have never had it easy against FC Cincinnati since the team’s arrival in MLS in 2019. Both head coach Wilfried Nancy and midfielder Samuel Piette are expecting another tough battle on Saturday night at Stade Saputo.
Posted at 7:29 p.m.
After losing its first three duels against FC Cincinnati, the Montreal team will come to its field on Saturday evening with a three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1) against the team now led by Pat Noonan.
During their last meeting, April 2 at TQL Stadium, CF Montreal snatched a 4-3 victory thanks to a goal from Joaquin Torres in the 67e minute.
Moreover, on July 17 at Saputo Stadium, it took three goals in a 15-minute interval for CF Montreal, late in the second half, to transform a 2-4 deficit into a 5-4 victory.
Between the two, on August 18, CF Montreal was limited to a 0-0 draw on the ground of its opponents.
The battle therefore promises to be very interesting given that CF Montreal (6-5-2 -20 points) is only one point ahead of FC Cincinnati (6-6-1) in the Eastern Conference standings.
“We always had trouble against Cincinnati,” recalled Piette in the press scrum Friday noon after the club’s training session at Center Nutrilait.
“Right now, Cincinnati is doing very well, it’s a team that is having a great season and which, since its arrival, has very good elements. Maybe the cohesion, the chemistry, was less there, as a team. But they have elements that can hurt us on stocks,” he described.
For her part, Nancy drew a parallel between FC Cincinnati and the Philadelphia Union, which in her mind is explained by the fact that Noonan, hired last December, has already been an assistant coach with the Union.
It’s also a team that has a better road record (4-2-1) than at home (2-4-0), a fact that isn’t common in MLS. However, this stat does not surprise the head coach of CF Montreal.
“It’s a team that is very, very good in offensive transition. It means whether it’s abroad or at home, it doesn’t really change the way he plays. She has attackers who are very interesting and who complement their style of play well, ”analyzed Nancy.
Saturday’s meeting will be the last for both teams before a two-week international break. If the players, on one side or the other, are going to want to end this cycle on a positive note, this is not necessarily a source of motivation in the eyes of Nancy.
“I don’t want to motivate my players about that. That they are motivated by that, yes. But we have something very specific to tell them and to work on, ”replied Nancy, recalling that the objective is always to seek the best possible result.
Perhaps the best source of motivation for CF Montreal will be trying to end a two-game losing streak in MLS and add a win to Wednesday night’s Canadian Championship win against Hamilton’s Forge FC.
After an eight-game unbeaten streak in MLS (6-0-2), Wilfried Nancy’s men suffered setbacks by identical scores of 2-1, first in Nashville on May 18, then against Real Salt Lake, at home, last Sunday.
” The morale is good. For sure the loss to Salt Lake hurt a bit, especially when you take the lead so early in the game [43e seconde] and you score a second goal which is disallowed,” said Piette.
“On the other hand, we know that it’s the last game before the break, for some, so we want to finish strong against Cincinnati which is also in a good moment. We are at home, we want to take the three points. We know what we have to do tomorrow, we are ready. Morale is good and we are confident because we know that at home we are capable of doing good things. »
Piette is one of those who won’t benefit from a long hiatus as he was named to Team Canada, along with defensemen Kamal Miller and Alistair Johnston, for two games in the the Concacaf Nations League.
These two matches will take place on June 9 against Curaçao, at BC Place, and on June 14, in Honduras.
Midfielder Djordje Mihailovic has also been called up by the United States team for this competition.
On a different note, Canada Soccer announced on Friday that the Canadian Championship semi-final match between CF Montreal and Toronto FC will be played on Wednesday, June 22, at BMO Field, at 7 p.m.
On the same night, the Vancouver Whitecaps will host York United, a team from the Canadian Premier League.
The winners of these matches will then meet in the grand final on a date yet to be determined, in July.