Seconds after CF Montreal lost 1-0 to New York City FC, Bonnie Tyler’s song, Holding Out for a Hero, sounded in the Saputo stadium. It was in the theme.
For the 12e time this season, the Impact conceded the first goal. On 10 occasions he lost.
Hernán Losada’s men seemed to run out of solutions on Saturday night when this scenario repeated itself.
“For our team, it’s hard to score goals,” said the Argentine pilot after the match. He even assured that his soldiers had tried everything to get a result, but they came up short.
“It’s especially difficult when the opponent scores first on the road,” he noted, before clarifying that the opponent had closed the game.
It’s one of the club’s Achilles’ heels. If his defense makes a mistake or, like against NYCFC, they are the victim of a moment of genius – a perfectly executed scissor from Matías Pellegrini – he no longer has as much hope as there are always points on the table to fetch.
Forwards find it difficult to create chances on their own and it’s sometimes difficult to finish plays. “I’m not sure,” forward Mason Toye said when asked if the offense should create more chances or just finish them better.
With the opening of the transfer window next week, the club will have to consider options to spice up an often too bland attack.
The Montrealers have proven it, when they score first, they are intractable. However, they will have to learn to correct this shortcoming to hope to surprise a team in the playoffs.
All good things have an end
Nothing is eternal, everything is fleeting. The rain, in this case the one that delayed the start of the match by an hour and a half, but also CF Montreal’s unbeaten streak at home.
PHOTO ERIC BOLTE, USA TODAY SPORTS
The rain delayed the start of the match by an hour and a half.
The Impact had won its last eight games at Saputo Stadium and hadn’t suffered a loss on home turf in 797 minutes. But that streak ended with Pellegrini’s spectacular goal.
This first win in 12 games for NYCFC was not stolen. The compact block, but quite high, forced the Bleu-blanc-noir to settle for long shots. Hernán Losada’s men also tried to surprise the visitors by playing deep, but they didn’t have a golden chance.
Again, these are the same elements that sank the CFM. An offensive that has difficulty creating chances, an inability to come back in the game and a trauma against the Big Apple team.
Montreal has won only 2 of its 18 games against NYCFC and also lost in the home playoffs last year, ending its historic season.
Up: Gabriele Corbo
Even if he remains the most erased central defender of the trio, Corbo knew how to do well by going there with a few long balls, while offering stability in defense. Without making too many waves, it positively influences the pace of meetings.
Down: Ariel Lassiter
Returning to his so-called base position with the left piston club, Ariel Lassiter was less punchy than usual. The team’s greatest offensive strength this season has been its use of the lanes, and when those aren’t working, the offense rarely follows.
Match number: 4
Number of points CF Montreal have scored after conceding the first goal