(Montreal) CF Montreal used an embarrassing loss as a shock earlier this season. With eight games to go, there could be no better opportunity to do it again.
The Bleu-blanc-noir thought they were fresh and ready to deliver a great performance at home against the New England Revolution on Saturday night. A 5-0 slap in the face reminded them, however, that their machine was still far from well-oiled and that they would have to give a lot more if they wanted to earn a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
When you’re calm, it’s often hard to take positives from such a result, the club’s worst home MLS result in history. Head coach Laurent Courtois rolled up his sleeves during training and focused his lessons on discipline and solidarity.
We have to distinguish the mistakes and hesitations of the first half from what happened in the second half. The guys wanted to do well and they left discipline aside to try to come from behind. It’s the worst-case scenario that we wanted to avoid.
Head coach Laurent Courtois, before training at the Nutrilait Center, Friday
By taking risks in attack in the second half, Montreal has sometimes managed to save the day and get a few points here and there since the start of the campaign. Unfortunately for them, Saturday’s game was not one of them.
A little over three months ago, Courtois’s team experienced a similar situation in the Canadian Championship. After an atrocious first half against Forge FC, they completely dominated their opponents in the second half, still losing 2-1.
In both cases, the result created a stir within the organization and among fans. It took a lot of soul searching, but CF Montreal bounced back, suffering only one loss in its next seven outings (2-1-4).
The team has turned the page on that thumping at the hands of the Revolution, but it is no doubt hoping to get the same spark to kick off its end of season, while it is only one point out of a playoff spot.
We were disappointed with the result on Saturday, especially for the fans. Since then, we have discussed among ourselves what is needed to be better. Confidence is good at the moment. There is a good group and a good formation here. We remain united and positive to look forward.
left back Tom Pearce
CF Montreal (6-11-9) now has the difficult task of traveling to Ohio to face the second-best team in the East on Saturday. However, it could deliver a big blow, as FC Cincinnati (15-8-3) has lost its last four games, allowing eight goals in the process.
The Bleu-blanc-noir can also say that it had one of its best performances of the season against Chris Albright’s men. During the opening match at Saputo Stadium on April 13, the Montreal players triumphed 2-1 in convincing fashion and with great intensity.
Courtois wants to take away some elements from this confrontation, without however giving it too much importance.
“We can use it in terms of what we can do when we’re on the same page and consistent. But there’s so much that’s happened since then. They’re one of the toughest, most competitive teams in the league. We have to look at the things we have to do well before we think about the other ones,” explained the head coach.
As for his job security, Courtois clarified his somewhat disjointed response from Saturday, when he was visibly shaken by the defeat and his discussion with some supporters.
“I didn’t feel like I was in danger, but then, that’s football. We don’t know. After talking to all the interlocutors for several months now, I have certainties about the project that we hope to follow,” he said.