CF Montreal seems to have found its rhythm, but it still has another major challenge before heading into the international break.
The 0-0 draw against Nashville SC last Saturday had in some way allowed the Bleu-blanc-noir to reconcile with its supporters. However, it was the great 4-2 victory at the expense of DC United on Wednesday evening which showed everything that the club was capable of doing to earn points in the standings more regularly.
The performance itself wasn’t perfect, and the nine-game winless streak left some scars on the team, but it helped lay the foundation for things to come.
“It was a great collective effort. What made us successful was that we were good in coverage. We have more “bad” in us, more aggressiveness, but there is more cohesion defensively too. We’re not here to say it’s all worked out, but it’s certainly better. We will have to bring him in the next matches,” underlined Quebec goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois on Friday, before training at the Nutrilait Center.
It would actually be a good thing for CF Montreal (4-7-4) if it brings these elements against its next opponent, the Philadelphia Union (4-4-7).
The two teams will cross swords on Saturday evening, at Subaru Park, where the Montrealers have not triumphed since September 15, 2018 (0-3-2). At that time, a certain Alejandro Silva had scored two of his five career goals in the blue-white-black uniform.
Usually very difficult to face at home, the Union has experienced failures in front of its supporters since the start of the campaign. He has already lost four matches (1-4-2) on his home field, which has not happened since the 2018 season. In contrast, Jim Curtin’s squad presented a record of 52-7-18 at Subaru Park between 2019 and 2023.
Nonetheless, head coach Laurent Courtois expects a tough matchup against a direct rival in the young Eastern Conference playoff race.
“They can provide chaos. In the verticality, in their pressure and in the second balls. They chase everything so it’s an athletic challenge. As I have said many times, we also know how to exploit these attributes. We hope we have learned from our mistakes,” Courtois said.
On the offensive side, designated players Daniel Gazdag, Julian Carranza and Mikael Uhre have already totaled 19 goals this season, but the problems are also caused at the back. Star defenders Kai Wagner and Jakob Glesnes, the 2022 Defender of the Year, don’t let many through the penalty area. Not to mention the imposing Jack Elliott, at six feet and six inches.
Courtois will hope that the offensive surge against DC United will give his men confidence and that the creativity they showed will provide good scoring chances despite the tight spaces.
“We will have to succeed in creating these small gaps. We know this window is even slimmer against “Philly” because their pressure is intense and athletic. There’s this combination play, where you try to manipulate the opposition, and every now and then it’s just you against your direct opponent. It’s about thwarting it with your individual skills. We were not so bad in the last match and we need to repeat,” analyzed the head coach.
At the end of a streak of nine games in 29 days, and as the international break approaches, it will be important for CF Montreal to keep its focus and leave everything on the table.
“From a mental point of view, it’s a match in which we have to give everything. We will then have a week to recharge the batteries and rest. It’s up to us to attack them and stay within our identity. We have to go and get points. We need it,” insisted Sirois.
Injured Wednesday evening, striker Jules-Anthony Vilsaint will not be in uniform against the Union. Quebec midfielder Mathieu Choinière will be suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Sunusi Ibrahim should once again be given the opportunity to shine, having scored twice against DC United as a substitute for Vilsaint.
“It’s the next guy mentality. We are also in an evaluation phase. It provides opportunities to see where we are in our evaluation of players, our strategies and our personnel to deal with these situations,” Courtois said.
Forwards Matias Coccaro, Josef Martinez, Kwadwo Opoku and Mason Toye as well as midfielder Lassi Lappalainen have returned to training with the ball, but none of them will be available for Saturday evening’s duel.