When a sports trade is announced on social media, fans like to gauge which team came out on top. But sometimes, the two formations ultimately find their account.
After a difficult start to the season, CF Montreal and Inter Miami CF have decided to move to perhaps create a spark. On April 12, the Bleu-blanc-noir therefore acquired young midfielder Bryce Duke and forward Ariel Lassiter in return for defender Kamal Miller and a showing of 1.3 million US dollars in cash. general allowance.
Now, the hour of reunion has finally arrived for all these beautiful people, as the Montrealers will welcome the Floridian club to the Saputo stadium on Saturday evening.
Struggling with several injuries, in search of offensive creativity and languishing in last place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 1-5-0, CF Montreal saw Duke and Lassiter offer them an immediate impact. Since acquiring the two players, the team is 4-3-0 in MLS and has won three Canadian Championship games to secure a place in the final.
And the trade couldn’t have been better for Duke and Lassiter as well. Little used in Miami, they quickly gained the trust of head coach Hernan Losada and they played a major role in advancing the ball better in the final third.
“I find that the exchange has been beneficial for me, but also for both teams. I had to acclimate to my new teammates and we went on a six-game winning streak. We have found our way back to victory and things are starting to turn out well,” mentioned Duke.
Miller’s arrival also seemed to inject some energy into Inter Miami CF, who claimed a 2-5-0 record prior to the trade. Suddenly he’s 3-3-0 in MLS, but he’s also won all three of his U.S. Cup games to earn his spot in the quarterfinals.
Known in Montreal for his defensive stability, Miller nevertheless helped Inter Miami CF (5-8-0) offensively by scoring the decisive goal in the penalty shootout in a win against Miami FC in the third round of the tournament .
Miller’s defensive teammate during his two full seasons and six games with CF Montreal, Rudy Camacho can’t wait to see him back on the field. Without however wishing him success.
“It will be nice to see Kamal again on Saturday. We had good times together. I hope he has a bad game,” Camacho said with a laugh.
The story of this matchup doesn’t just revolve around Duke, Lassiter and Miller, however. In the opening game of the season for both teams, Inter Miami CF had resisted a few good chances from CF Montreal (5-8-0) to save themselves with a 2-0 victory.
South American strikers Nicolas Stefanelli and Josef Martinez were able to show their skills. Since this duel, the excellent Ecuadorian striker Leonardo Campana has made a return to the game. Losada will also be keeping an eye on this trio.
“It’s a team with a lot of individual qualities. They have perhaps two of the best strikers in MLS in Martinez and Campana. There are several threats in attack and you have to be careful with them. I still expect an open match and I believe there will be plenty of scoring opportunities. Both teams need points,” insisted the Bleu-blanc-noir head coach.
Losada is telling the truth. Currently, Inter Miami CF and CF Montreal respectively occupy the 12e and 13e levels of the Eastern Conference, just three points from the ninth and last place giving access to the playoffs. They have also just suffered defeat in their last two outings in MLS.
Duke intends to take advantage of his time with the Florida club to facilitate the work of Losada and his teammates in their preparation for this game.
“I’ve worn Miami colors for a year so I know how they play, I know some of their tendencies as well as how their coach might think. I’m no longer in group messaging with my former teammates, but I’m thinking of going to talk to them to get information out of them,” Duke joked.
CF Montreal will once again be without forwards Romell Quioto and Mason Toye as well as midfielder Samuel Piette. Losada announced on Thursday that Quioto will miss a long period of play due to a “hamstring injury”.