Several CF Montreal supporters would be ready to trade places with their favorite players, but the last few weeks may dampen their enthusiasm.
As the Bleu-Blanc-Noir begins a fourth week in a row with two games to play, the atmosphere seemed relaxed at Monday’s practice at Center Nutrilait.
This is not how the plan for the month of May had been drawn, but two games in the Canadian Championship came to deprive the players of a little rest. However, CF Montreal is far from complaining, as it will participate in the final of the tournament next Wednesday, during a fifth and final week in a row with two games to play.
Hernán Losada’s men will complete their 11-game-in-36-day streak by hosting Minnesota United on June 10. In the meantime, the fatigue is greatly felt, and the players cling to what they can to prevent the body from giving up along the way.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that,” said midfielder Victor Wanyama. When I was playing in England, streaks like this only lasted two weeks. It is difficult, but the most important thing is to rest. Mentally, I just want to think about what I can do to recover. Despite everything, we will continue to fight for every victory and every point. »
And for fighting, CF Montreal did. Since the start of this streak, the team has gone 5-2-0 in all competitions, and they would currently be in the playoffs if they started today.
The ammunition was lacking at the start of the season and the results were slow to show up, while several players were struggling with an injury. The return to play of some of them and a trade with Inter Miami CF, which brought Bryce Duke and Ariel Lassiter to Montreal, however, straightened the boat.
As the matches dragged on, Losada repeatedly mentioned that he wouldn’t hesitate to rotate his players. The Argentine kept his promise by using practically all of his staff.
As an attacking midfielder, Duke stood out at the start of this grueling streak. Matko Miljevic returned to action and started Wednesday’s duel in the semi-finals of the Canadian Championship. Ahmed Hamdi entered Saturday’s game at the start of the second half.
“It’s the rotation, I want to give everyone minutes. I gave Hamdi 45 minutes, Duke 45. We have four healthy attacking midfielders and it’s impossible to play with all four at the same time. It depends on the opponents and the situations. It’s not easy to go into the second half or to play only a few minutes, but the mentality has always been very good,” explained Losada.
The only exceptional case is that of Quebecer Mathieu Choinière, who got the start in the last 16 games of his troupe. On Saturday, he was replaced at the 71e minute. When asked if he was considering giving the player an evening off, Losada had a good time with the reporters.
“I already gave Mathieu 20 minutes off in the last game, so that’s enough,” he said with a laugh. That’s all I can give him, unfortunately. »
Choinière is one of the most in-form players at CF Montreal, but this series of games could still put him at risk of injury. The same goes for his teammates.
Losada, however, feels the team managed to strike a nice balance of not squeezing all the juice out of the lemon.
“There’s no reason to think injuries are coming now,” he said, banging his head as if knocking on wood. I think we did a good job with the medical staff, the performance staff, to find a good balance, to make the right changes and to have a good rotation. You don’t want players to be out of breath and cramp after games. Afterwards, it’s a question of recovery. »
Forward Mason Toye, who has been injured for several weeks, trained with his teammates on Monday. Losada said Toye was not 100 percent in practice like his teammates and the team was aiming for a slow reintegration in his case.