On November 7, 2021, Orlando City SC deprived CF Montreal of a place in the playoffs. Next Sunday, a little less than a year later, the two teams will meet at Saputo Stadium. Except that the picture is quite different this time around.
Posted at 4:31 p.m.
Orlando City narrowly secured their place in the playoffs on Sunday. For its part, the Impact ended the season with four consecutive victories. He has broken records, he has the wind in his sails, and he has confidence.
“We will go to the field, we will fight. We will win. It doesn’t matter if they beat us last year, “said Lassi Lappalainen, Tuesday morning, after training.
“Orlando is a good team, but I think we’re the favorites in every one of our games, so it doesn’t really matter,” he said earlier.
The memory of last year’s emotional setback, when a disallowed goal changed everything, is still present in the Montreal camp, but “there is no revenge,” said Rudy Camacho, who had received a red card late in the game.
“It’s just a game that stays in the lead, he nuanced. It was a bit of a catastrophic scenario last year. There we will be at home, in a position of strength. We will try to impose our game as we have done since the beginning of the year. »
The fact remains that CF Montreal’s historic season, as impressive and still recent as it is, is now a thing of the past. From now on, it’s make or break.
This is how the current playoff format works in MLS. No home and away game, no second chance. Even if Montreal is the favourite, all it takes is a poor performance and then poof, “the whole season is gone,” according to Camacho. But that is not a reason to change the ways of doing things in terms of preparation, on the contrary.
“It has to be the same [à ce qu’on fait d’habitude]. That we benefit from training, that we work in the same way, and above all that we are cold in our heads, ”suggested the defender.
PHOTO ERIC CANHA, USA TODAY SPORTS
Rudy Camacho
“We have to take the game as we took it during the regular season. We took each game as a playoff game. It will be exactly the same, with a stake at the end. […] There is a little extra pressure, but good pressure. »
Wilfried Nancy’s troupe should once again count on a large and noisy crowd.
“It gives us chills when we enter the field and it’s full, when it’s crowded and noisy,” Camacho said. There are our families in the stands. It gives something more. We will have to manage these emotions and keep a cool head. And hurt the opponent on the field. »
“The Best Coach”
As Camacho was asked to comment on teammate Lassi Lappalainen’s performance since his change of position, at the end of his media availability, the conversation turned to coach Wilfried Nancy. And the French defender was complimentary.
“He’s not the biggest name, but he’s the best tactical coach I’ve had. Pedagogical too, ”he dropped.
The 31-year-old athlete especially praised the way his coach forgives mistakes and managed to create a “close-knit” group.
I think it’s the job of a coach today, to be an educator. It is the most important. I’m not a coach, but I’ve seen plenty. Wil and the staff, it’s largely thanks to them that we are here. We apply what they tell us. Great credit to them.
Rudy Camacho on Wilfried Nancy
“You keep a tight-knit group by being a teacher. And it’s not because you make one or two mistakes that you are taken out of the game. He believed in several players even if we all made mistakes at some point. And he did well, because now I’m leaving the team; gaby [Corbo] come in and perform. Romell [Quioto] goes out, everyone performs. There is nothing essential. It’s thanks to Wil and the staff, we just follow. »
Rudy Camacho watched CF Montreal’s last game with friends on his couch. “I had a little alert last week, I didn’t train until Friday, he explained. I was ready to play on Friday, but the staff decided not to risk it. If all goes well this week, it will be fine on Sunday. »
As for Romell Quioto, still injured, he did not train with the team on Tuesday. He did, however, show up on the pitch in the last half hour to do some drills with a coach.