CF Montreal is about to begin the most important week of its season by welcoming an opponent on Wednesday evening who does not often visit Saputo stadium, but who has been on a very good streak in recent months.
Analyzing Western Conference teams is sometimes more difficult for those on the other side of the continent, but the Houston Dynamo announced its colors last week, in anticipation of its Wednesday duel against the Bleu- White black.
One point away from being excluded from the playoffs, after a five-game winless streak before the League Cup, Dynamo (12-11-8) got going and climbed the standings.
Since their embarrassing 3-0 home loss to Minnesota United on July 12, the Houston squad is 4-1-4 in MLS and now sits fifth in the West. They reached the round of 16 of the League Cup, but, above all, they have just defeated Inter Miami CF in the final of the United States Cup last Wednesday.
“I watched the final and several Houston games. It is an organized, compact and solid team. She uses rapid forward transitions a lot. They are a team with a lot of experience and have players who are part of their national club. Their head coach, Ben Olsen, is very experienced in MLS and is someone I respect. It will be a difficult match,” expressed head coach Hernan Losada.
What could advantage CF Montreal (11-16-4) is that Dynamo is experiencing the same problems as them abroad.
Ben Olsen’s men have won only two of their 15 away games this season (2-9-4) and they have not been particularly threatening in attack, scoring just 11 goals.
Clinging to the ninth and final position giving access to the playoffs in the East, the Montrealers prefer to concentrate on what they can do to continue their success at home, even if they let slip precious points to their two last outings at Saputo stadium.
“Even if they don’t have a good record abroad, that doesn’t change anything in our preparation,” assured Losada. They arrive here having had good performances in some important games. At this time of year, at the end of the season, points are important. All opponents are difficult to face when they are playing to get something. »
The challenge for the Bleu-blanc-noir will be to regain their defensive composure, after having conceded a total of seven goals in their last two matches. Against Orlando last Saturday, the squad was without Joel Waterman, suspended due to a red card. Against Dynamo, it was Gabriele Corbo who suffered the same fate due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Young 20-year-old defender Fernando Alvarez could get a second start in a row, but CF Montreal players insist that it is as a unit that they can get their act together at the back. And they’ve done it before, as they had a six-game shutout streak at home between April 22 and June 21.
“We know that all defenders can do the job. We need to come together and stay united to be successful in future games,” said George Campbell. We trust each other. I think the last two games will not affect us. At home, there is another level of confidence that is brought and the energy of the fans helps a lot too. »
CF Montreal has won each of its seven home duels against Dynamo, including the last six by shutout. Now would be a good time to continue this sequence.
Defender Aaron Herrera (ankle) trained at the Nutrilait Center on Monday. It is unknown if he will be available on Wednesday.