About three weeks ago, Tom Pearce was a complete unknown to virtually every CF Montreal fan. On Tuesday night, he made his introductions.
Pearce had a goal and an assist for the Bleu-blanc-noir, who stayed alive in the Leagues Cup by beating Atlético de San Luis 3-2 at Saputo Stadium.
For a player who was “still a long way” from making his debut, according to head coach Laurent Courtois, Pearce looked comfortable in front of his new fans. And the least we can say is that the 26-year-old defender had the desired impact in the first half.
The Englishman first found the target with a superb low shot from outside the box, before delivering a superb cross to set up Matias Coccaro’s goal.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better home opener. The biggest thing was believing in myself and playing my style. I don’t think I’m ready to play 90 minutes yet, but I’m close,” Pearce said. “I wanted to take my shot first time, but the angle was tight. I decided to take another touch and luckily I was able to find the corner of the net.”
If this is a taste of what Pearce can regularly bring as a left-back, Courtois should not complain.
“We are very satisfied with his game. We knew he could bring that to his game. He was able to be effective tonight even if he was a little short physically. In addition, he defended well on the field. It’s really a great first,” analyzed the head coach about one of his newcomers.
Pearce provided a much-needed spark for CF Montreal if it wanted to keep its chances of advancing in the tournament alive after being outshot 4-1 by Orlando City SC on Friday night.
“We didn’t make any adjustments. The players just performed better. We didn’t change anything and we talked about the same things,” Courtois insisted.
With its victory, the Montreal team currently occupies second place in Group East 2. If it wishes to advance to the elimination round, Atlético de San Luis will have to beat Orlando City SC in regular time on August 4.
“We have to improve the small details,” said Jurgen Damm, who scored one of the Mexican club’s two goals. “Overall, we had a good game and we made a lot of shots. In the next game, we have to focus on the details and put crosses in the spaces.”
Sunusi Ibrahim also found the back of the net in the victory. Should they advance to the next round, the Bleu-blanc-noir would face the winner of East Group 4, which consists of Philadelphia Union, Cruz Azul and Charlotte FC.
Damm and Franck Boli, two former MLS players, both scored on penalties for Atlético de San Luis, who were unable to force a penalty shootout.
Good start
Both teams exchanged scoring opportunities in the first quarter of an hour of play, suggesting an attacking match.
Sébastien Salles-Lamonge first tried his luck, in the sixth minute, but his shot missed the top corner by a few feet. A few minutes later, Vitinho used his speed to cut towards the centre, but his left-footed shot missed the target.
Between these two sequences of the visitors, Josef Martinez accepted a pass from Coccaro and he broke away from a defender before unleashing a low shot which narrowly missed the target.
It was only a postponement for CF Montreal, who opened the scoring in the 17th minute.e minute. Pearce received a long pass from Bryce Duke and he beat the vigilance of goalkeeper Andres Sanchez.
The Mexican club had the opportunity to respond through Vitinho, but Jonathan Sirois deprived him of a goal by diving.
The Bleu-blanc-noir rewarded its goalkeeper in the 27th minutee minute, through Pearce. His cross made easy work for Coccaro, who deflected the ball into the top of the net.
The Uruguayan could have even increased his team’s lead before they went into the locker room, after having won a penalty following contact with Sanchez. The goalkeeper, however, got his revenge by blocking his attempt.
Montreal’s insistence in the second half provided other good opportunities, but the finishing was lacking.
Kwadwo Opoku, who entered at 59e minute, was able to testify to this. Running with the ball and alone in front of Sanchez, he lacked precision in his touches and was unable to take a shot. A few minutes later, the young striker hit the crossbar with a point-blank shot, a few meters from the net.
Those missed chances came back to haunt CF Montreal, after Boli was tripped by Joel Waterman in the penalty area. The former Portland Timbers player himself reduced the deficit with his own attempt from the penalty spot.
Ibrahim allowed the Bleu-blanc-noir to breathe better thanks to a nice header, but another foul by Waterman in the area opened the door. Damm converted the penalty in the final seconds of the match, but it was too late for Atlético.