Hernán Losada was unable to hide his enthusiasm. The two catches of CF Montreal are an influx of “quality” and “competition” internally, which the club has sorely lacked in recent weeks.
From a strictly tactical standpoint, the trade that sends Kamal Miller and $1.3 million in general allocation money to Inter Miami for attacking midfielder Bryce Duke and winger Ariel Lassiter allows the Bleu-blanc-noir to obtain reinforcements at two key positions.
“We are going to be much more competitive with these arrivals,” said the CFM head coach during a press scrum on Thursday noon.
The newcomers will be eligible for Saturday’s fixture against DC United, but their attendance for the encounter has not been confirmed by the Argentine driver.
Even if he has to earn his place in the starting XI, Duke arrives at a time when the Impact’s offense needs a catalyst.
“He is very good in small spaces. He has that creativity that we lack. But, he might have the same problem as Sean Rea, if others around him aren’t level. He can’t do it alone like a white knight,” warned Renard.
So he should be competing with Rea and Matko Miljevic as number 10 when the latter returns from injury.
The Bleu-blanc-noir sent a considerable amount, in addition to Kamal Miller, to obtain the services of Duke. Renard, however, sees the transaction differently: “If I had paid an Argentinian, a Spaniard or a Frenchman for 2 million, no one would have said anything”.
Positions to be filled
Lassiter has a particular profile. Hernán Losada’s tactical scheme does not employ wingers, which is Lassiter’s natural position. So even if he can help out as a top striker, the Costa Rican could be called upon to discover a new role with Montreal.
Lassiter, a southpaw, could be used by Losada as a left-handed plunger. This is a reflection that Losada had due to the injury to Lassi Lappalainen.
On the other hand, when asked who could replace Miller at center hinge, Losada didn’t rule anyone out in the long run. However in the short term, yes.
“Róbert Thorkelsson and George Campbell are not 100% yet,” he said. So Gabriele Corbo, who started in the last game, should be the candidate of choice in the meantime.
A match as important as the others
The Bleu-blanc-noir has the chance to stop the bloodletting in the coming days when the club’s next three games will be played at Stade Saputo. But they won’t be more important than the other duels, Losada said, because “every week is important”.
And even if it is against the club he led before, that of the American capital.
It’s no different than usual. The only difference is that we play at Stade Saputo. But nothing compared to my old club.
Hernán Losada, head coach of CF Montreal
What about the last two defeats of the CFM? He was beaten 9-0 overall. Could he use it to bounce back?
“We’ve been losing for two weeks… not at all fun if I can put it that way,” admitted goaltender Jonathan Sirois. So the honor of each player comes into play. During training and video sessions, you can feel that the guys are more and more focused and interested. They want to win. I think the band really wants to change things. »
Quioto away from the pitches
Replaced at halftime during the duel against the New England Revolution, Romell Quioto missed the training sessions of the CFM week due to an injury. It was also because of this injury that he returned to Honduras according to Renard.
“He already had a problem, more of a family situation before he got injured,” admitted the Belgian.
According to him, his injury allowed him to kill two birds with one stone to allow him to fix the said situation in addition to meeting a doctor on site. He can also “change his mind”.
No timeline has been disclosed in his case.