“To honor Jason today, it was simply to have the mentality of the gritted. To be positive. To be passionate. To be brave, courageous. Like Jason was. I think we were tonight. »
Updated yesterday at 11:50 p.m.
Samuel Piette isn’t lying: CF Montreal’s performance on Saturday night was a perfect reflection of Jason Di Tullio’s identity. The CF Montreal assistant coach passed away Thursday night from brain cancer. He was 38 years old. His death has moved the soccer community in Montreal, Quebec, and even across the country.
And the club he loved so much paid tribute to him at Stade Saputo with a performance from his heyday. However, CF Montreal could not get the three points: they had to settle for a 0-0 draw against New York City FC in front of a full house, the second in a row in the Montreal enclosure.
“I do not hide from you that it was not easy, conceded Wilfried Nancy, still moved after the meeting. But I was very happy with the game. It was a good football match. I had fun on the bench. Congratulations to the guys, they were very good. »
It is rare for the head coach to allow himself such a rave review of his men. It is that despite the emotion at the start of the match, CF Montreal offered one of its beautiful scores under the Nancy era.
No shot on target from the opponent – only the fifth time that Montreal has managed to completely extinguish its rival in this way in MLS. A possession of nearly 60% for the premises. To the naked eye, total CFM domination. Against the second team in the East, moreover.
Obviously, the philosophy of gritted — whom Di Tullio embodied as an Impact player, trainer at his academy, then as an assistant in MLS — the Montrealers had him in their guts on Saturday.
“That was the message from me before the game,” said Piette. I told the guys. »
“These are values that are at the heart of our game. […] It must be the values of the club, from the first team all the way down to the younger teams. »
“The best defensive performance of the season”
It is true that New York City FC came to Montreal without Taty Castellanos, the leading scorer in MLS. The Argentinian had just left on loan for La Girona, in the Spanish La Liga. But the visitors really didn’t show anything very convincing at Stade Saputo.
The Blue and Black once again offered an offensive, continuous possession game that was asphyxiating for the opponent. In addition to a fine save from Sean Johnson at close range against Djordje Mihailovic at the end of the first period, the only real opportunity for Montreal ended in a failure that will give Mason Toye nightmares.
He and Romell Quioto came in two against one, in the 55e. The Honduran had the ball on the left. He finally handed over to Toye, who only had goalkeeper Sean Johnson to beat in the box… but he missed his shot completely, over the crossbar.
“I think everyone in the stadium believed that Mason was going to score, launched Kamal Miller, the author of the pass towards Quioto at the start of the action. […] But it’s a marker, it will recover. »
The Canadian defender was one of the main architects of Montreal’s domination. His defensive retreats were effective and clean, while his surges created problems for New York. A bit like Di Tullio, once again.
I think it was our best defensive performance of the season. Mason, Romell and Djordje all made sliding tackles. It was impressive.
Kamal Miller
“We know they weren’t a complete New York team offensively, but their offensive scheme still makes them one of the best teams in the league. It’s a big statement to have managed to keep the shutout in front of such a formation. »
Lassi Lappalainen is another who played one of his good games in a Montreal uniform. The Finn stood out for his liveliness on the left, both in the hallway and to regain possession in his zone. He just needs a little more realism near the surface to become a real impact player in this league.
Solemn
The emotion was at its height just before kick-off. A tribute video to Jason Di Tullio was shown on the giant screen, while the players gathered in the middle of the field. On the sidelines, surrounded by members of her staff, Nancy seemed the most moved. He was captured by the TVA Sports camera shedding hot tears. The head coach has worked with Di Tullio for a long time. He also wore his initials on the sleeve of his sweater.
“Jason, since 2010 and even before with the Quebec teams, we were together, explained Nancy. Until [l’époque de Mauro Biello], we were in the room together. That says everything. »
“He fought until the end, in his image. He had a boost of energy to thank his loved ones. Afterwards, he decided to leave because he was in pain. He left as a gentleman, as usual. »
Samuel Piette recalled that “the stadium was Jason’s favorite place”.
“The emotions were there. It was special. This tribute and this video gave us even more motivation and a boost of confidence. »
“I was holding back my tears,” Kamal Miller said. I cried a little. When I came here, he was one of the first to contact me. We worked a lot together. […] I’m sure he wouldn’t want me to be negative. I’m sure he was smiling. I tried to smile and keep strong too. »