If CF Montreal wants to pull a rabbit out of its hat abroad, Saturday night’s match would be the ideal time.
Clinging on with difficulty to a playoff place in the Eastern Association, the Bleu-blanc-noir heads to Florida to face Orlando City SC and to try to score a crucial victory.
The stakes are high for CF Montreal (11-15-4), but the problem is that they are also high for Orlando City SC (14-7-9). Not because the Florida squad finds itself in a precarious position, as it ranks second in the East, but rather because it is seeking to confirm the holding of a first round playoff match on its home field. Only two points separate five teams between the second and sixth tier.
Montreal head coach Hernan Losada doesn’t expect Orlando City SC to give his men free points, but he feels points are within reach at Exploria Stadium.
“All matches are difficult, especially away, but we think we can take points in Orlando. We must remain humble and positive. There are only four games left and it’s all or nothing. This is the time to represent the club in the best way. We want to be competitive against teams who have a lot of talent and who perhaps have other ambitions than us. We will try to get points in Orlando,” he observed.
Wanting to collect points abroad is one thing, but being able to do it is another. In the case of CF Montreal, matches on opposing fields have not been synonymous with good fortune this season.
The team has only two victories in 15 games abroad (2-11-2) and one of those came in Toronto on August 20 against the worst team in MLS. The Bleu-blanc-noir can thank their home success for their eighth place finish in the East at present, but Losada noted that this is a trend visible across the league and not just in Montreal .
“A lot of teams have only won a few games on the road this season, including some that are fighting for the MLS Cup,” said the head coach. The trend in this league is to amass the majority of your points at home and be less decisive away. »
Last Saturday, the trend was respected. Following a crushing 4-1 loss against Atlanta United, captain Samuel Piette did not mince his words to talk about the preparation of CF Montreal and the difficulties on the tactical level.
Piette calmed things down on Tuesday, during a media availability, and Losada showed humility on Thursday, admitting that preparation during home games perhaps applied less well to those played at the enemy .
“It’s obvious that what we did overseas didn’t work as well as we would have liked. We have to be realistic that what we have achieved at home may not work abroad,” Losada said.
“We talked about tactics and how we are going to play against Orlando. The way to apply pressure, the way to defend and open spaces. We’ll see how it goes,” added midfielder Bryce Duke.
CF Montreal has won its last three clashes against Orlando City SC, including that of May 6 at Saputo stadium. Oscar Pareja’s squad, however, has not suffered defeat in front of its supporters in its last 12 outings (7-0-5) in MLS, since April 22.
The task therefore promises to be very heavy for the Montrealers, who will be deprived of the services of defenders Joel Waterman (suspension), Aaron Herrera (ankle) and Robert Thorkelsson (adductors). Forward Jules-Anthony Vilsaint (ankle) trained with his teammates this week, but it is unclear whether he will be available for Saturday’s match.