(Montreal) In the world of sport, we often hear that there is no friendship on the field. If this is the case, the one between Laurent Courtois and Wilfried Nancy will also have to be put on hold on Saturday evening.
It’s not the story of two men, but they are certainly the main players in the first match of the season between CF Montreal (3-3-2) and the Columbus Crew (3-1-5), at Lower.com Field.
This duel is perhaps a little more special for Courtois, however.
It was with Crew 2, in the MLS Next Pro, that the 45-year-old Frenchman made his debut as head coach in North America and won a first title, in 2022. Now, he will experience this that Nancy experienced last season, when he first faced the Blue-white-black as an enemy.
“I’m living a waking dream. It’s the club that sort of gave birth to me. It will be extraordinary. It’s special for me and for a lot of other people, but at the same time, it’s still a game. I think it will be a beautiful one,” underlined Courtois.
Teams are used to preparing, both by video and on the field, to avoid surprises during matches. However, we can safely say that CF Montreal and the Crew know very well what to expect for Saturday night’s game.
While managing the Montreal squad, Nancy successfully established a possession system that gave his opponents a lot of trouble. His style of play once again stood out with the Crew last year. So much so, that he won the MLS Cup.
Having adopted this philosophy in Columbus, Courtois brought it to CF Montreal, with good success since the start of the season. All that remains is to apply it on the pitch, facing the speed and dangerous transition of the Crew.
“They are so tactically rich. They can draw in one way and out the other, and they have the ability to alternate between the short game and the direct game with incredible precision. We think we know how to get them in trouble, but it can be a double-edged sword. If you go all out with or without the ball, there is the other side of the coin too,” he noted.
Montrealers at least have the luxury of being more rested than their next rivals. The Columbus team played six games in April, including the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
After a long stretch of six games away to start their season, the Bleu-blanc-noir remained at home for the last two weeks. Captain Samuel Piette also thinks that there is an advantage to be gained from this situation.
“The Crew has had a big workload in the last month. It’s up to us to take advantage of this fatigue. We expect their squad to rotate, he observed. For our part, we managed to recharge our batteries and return to a normal schedule. The Crew is in my opinion the best team in the league, but I think there is a chance to play. »
However, the major disadvantage for CF Montreal is that it must play this match at Lower.com Field.
Under the Nancy era, the Crew suffered only one defeat in front of their fans in MLS (18-1-6) and they have not lost in the league at home since April 29, 2023, i.e. his last 20 outings (15-0-5).
In such an intimidating environment, the task promises to be difficult for Courtois’ men, but they are mentally ready to take up the challenge and apply their style of play.
“It’s cliché, but we have to focus on ourselves. The result is important, but to get there, you have to have attention to detail and be technically clean. In a match like this, we have to have more positives in our game. We must not think that we must at all costs be better than Columbus in all phases of the game. We must be efficient and punish them when they take mistakes. risks,” analyzed Piette.
If the confrontation has a special character for Courtois and the players who worked alongside Nancy, it no longer has the same meaning for goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The Quebecer was on loan in the Canadian Premier League when Nancy was head coach of CF Montreal and felt he never really had the chance to showcase himself.
“I felt like Wil never really gave me a chance. The first season of my loan I was named goalkeeper of the year, but Wil didn’t use me. Even for a preparatory match. Last year, I wanted to prove to him that I had the skills to play in MLS and I did it in Columbus by making several saves. But now those are things of the past. It’s a match like any other,” said Sirois.
Injured attackers Matias Coccaro, Josef Martinez and Kwadwo Opoku will be absent against the Crew. Midfielder Lassi Lappalainen and defender Joaquin Sosa should get some rest, according to Courtois.