Professional sport is a vector of emotions. That’s why it’s so popular: it rocks everyone. On this Saturday evening, the fans present at the Saputo stadium got their money’s worth in this regard, and it is not thanks to the successes of CF Montreal.
“For the show, it is the referee, the person in charge”, launched a Hernán Losada anxious to measure his words. His club was shut out for the third time in three games, this time by a score of 1-0 against Atlanta United.
This match, which lacked fireworks on the Montreal side, was amply made exciting by a colorful end to the duel. This final scene began with the nine minutes of stoppage time.
Defender Juan José Purata then dropped, and for the first time this season, beer cans rained down on the lawn at Saputo Stadium. A few Impact players then quickly removed the debris for the action to resume.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, THE PRESS
Osvaldo Alonso and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint
Home host Robert Tanguay had barely finished his message condemning these ways of doing things when Jules-Anthony Vilsaint was mowed down in the area without the official intervening. The crowd gave way to their outrage and the action was relentless until the end.
Fans no longer sat down and jeered the refereeing until they left the stadium as the head coaches and a few players cheered each other on. A defeat against a rival of the Eastern Association which certainly left a bitter taste.
It’s a shame, because if we want to protect a promotional product, the referee must be a little more aware of that. He must let play a little more. Every little touch was a foul.
Hernán Losada, head coach of CF Montreal
The referee is a natural part of the game, but that said, he was definitely at the heart of the post-match discussions.
“If I say what I think, I will be in trouble”, summarized the one who wears the captain’s armband, Victor Wanyama. “I felt that I was playing abroad. »
For his part, defender Rudy Camacho felt that the only responsible for this loss was the Montreal team itself. He lacked a little “desire to kill” and “character”.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, THE PRESS
Rudy Camacho tries to free himself from the grip of an Atlanta player.
This lack of finishing and scoring instinct has hurt Montreal since the start of the campaign. She was camouflaged for a while by the shutout streak that allowed the club to come out with points despite everything. However, when the defensive does not hold up, the offensive hardly comes to save them.
Montreal only has a win and a draw when it is the first to concede a goal. So it’s 12 losses in this kind of scenario.
“We have a better team than that and we can do better,” simply summarized Wanyama. His instructor, however, delivered a somewhat oblique message in an effort to whip his troops.
The reality is that players [offensifs] had opportunities.
Hernán Losada, head coach of CF Montreal
This is the first time in their career that some young offensive leaders have started several games in a row. Still, for the moment, no one has really managed to establish themselves as an indisputable holder by playing a decisive role.
New striker Kwadwo Opoku will definitely help in that regard. It’s no lifesaver, however, and others will need to step their game up a notch if the club wants to make the playoffs.
Masterstroke
MLS’s best prospect has arrived in Montreal with his countdown to his inevitable departure already well under way. Thiago Almada did what he does best: making spectacular breakthroughs and taking precise free-kicks.
That’s all that was needed to change the outcome of the meeting: a spectacular rise from the Argentinian which caused a free kick, and the world champion went there with an almost perfect strike. A shot good enough to beat Jonathan Sirois, but stopped on the post before Brooks Lennon completed in an abandoned net.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, THE PRESS
Nathan Saliba and Thiago Almada
After the match, Losada said he was disappointed with this goal conceded since his men were not the first on the ball. They were “distracted” on this action, according to him.
Rudy Camacho mentioned that the club hadn’t planned anything in particular to defend the attacking midfielder, other than being wary of his free-kicks. In the end, that was all he needed.
Up: Bryce Duke
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, THE PRESS
Bryce Duke
Despite being physically bullied a few times, Duke has shown that his progress in recent games hasn’t stopped. He was the most influential player offensively and his shot from outside the box is the only shot on target made by the Montrealers.
Down: Mason Toye
The Montrealers didn’t have many chances, but the most dangerous saw the American forward being thrown behind. His strikes, however, did not bother Jonjo Shelvey lookalike Brad Guzan. He had little influence on the pace of the meeting.
The number of the match: 333
Number of minutes that have elapsed since the Montrealers’ last goal. In this period, it is possible to make a double program at the cinema with Oppenheimer And Barbie while having free time to get a popcorn.