August 13, 2021. Ismaël Koné signs his first contract as a professional player. The 19-year-old Quebecer, who until then had only trained with CF Montreal, arrived from the amateur club CS Saint-Laurent.
Posted at 2:58 p.m.
Click. We press the fast forward button on our VHS. Vzzzt. Click. No need to roll the magnetic tape of our fictional cassette very long.
October 16, 2022. Ismaël Koné is now 20 years old. In his very first playoff game in MLS, he is the best player on the field.
The environment is his. He scores the goal of 1-0 in the 68e minute. Net that will prove decisive in a 2-0 win over Orlando in the first round. A precise strike, between the two canes of goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. The Montrealer shows all his composure in a situation of increased pressure.
It takes a “special” player to “take such a step forward” in fourteen months, estimated Djordje Mihailovic, Sunday evening, after the victory of the CFM.
“He deserves 100% to be at the World Cup for Canada,” added his American teammate. He works hard. He has a good head on his shoulders. In training and in matches, you can see his quality. He is full of confidence. He does not give up on any challenge. »
How do we get here so quickly?
“Trust, humility, and from time to time pats on the back of the head”, illustrates Wilfried Nancy smiling, in a press conference.
Yes, Koné had a meteoric rise. Less than two years ago, he was playing in Quebec amateur soccer. Today, he shines at the pinnacle of North American football, and is on course to face the best in the world in Qatar.
But according to the main interested party, “it’s been a long time” that he’s been waiting for this.
“The project is coming true”
Koné and his mother Suzanne Diomande fled the civil war in Ivory Coast when he was 7 years old. They end up in Montreal in 2010.
The young man that the entire ecosystem of North American soccer is talking about today still lives, to this day, with his mother in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
And Sunday, M.me Diomande saw him play professionally in person for only the second time.
“I just finished talking to him,” he told the media after the meeting. It was a bit emotional. »
“When I was 15, I told him I wanted to go pro. For her, it was complicated. It’s hard for a mom to believe that her son is going to turn pro at 15. »
Four years later, he has already been able to say mission accomplished.
“The project is happening. There are goals, offers to go to clubs. This is solid evidence for her. She begins to believe more and more. »
PHOTO ERIC BOLTE, USA TODAY SPORTS
Ismael Kone
Because we must have no illusions, dear readers and supporters of CF Montreal. The talent and presence of Ismaël Koné, especially at his young age, attract the greed of major European clubs. To the point where it would be surprising if he started the next season in Montreal. Especially if he plays important minutes with Canada in Qatar.
A tailor-made game plan
But Koné reiterates that he is currently “focused on winning the MLS Cup with CF Montreal”. His participation in the World Cup and his other ideals, he wants to pay attention to them later.
His club is off to a good start. If Nancy has diversified its tactical plan several times during the season, we have the impression that the coach has found his favorite formula in the last games. Especially in the offensive section of his roster. Even if the technician would answer you that his choices always change “according to the opposition”.
Let’s analyze it.
A striker – Kei Kamara in this case, in the absence of Romell Quioto – alone in the lead. But who is supported by Djordje Mihailovic in his usual role of attacking midfielder, carried towards the right portion. Ismaël Koné in a more advanced position than usual, on the left. The geometry of this box of four midfielders is completed by Samuel Piette and Victor Wanyama, who are further back in their defensive roles.
This game physiognomy, a kind of 3-4-2-1, had served to dismantle Miami in the last game of the season. And still to prevent Orlando from generating the slightest shot on target.
It is Koné who is at the center of the success of this one. He has started the last three games. This tactic has been used in the last two meetings. See the difference for yourself. These heat maps were generated by the specialized site Sofascore.
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SOFASCORE CREDIT
The heat map of Ismaël Koné when he left the 1er October against DC United
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SOFASCORE CREDIT
The heat map of Ismaël Koné during his departure on October 9 against Inter Miami
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SOFASCORE CREDIT
The heat map of Ismaël Koné during his departure on October 16 against Orlando City SC
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The difference is striking between that of the 1er October and the next two. And testifies to better efficiency in the last third.
Koné enjoys an offensive role. But Nancy explained at a press conference that he had to teach her to play “in both phases of play” during the season.
“Offensively, we know [qu’il est bon]. But defensively, he did the job. Doesn’t mean he didn’t do it before. But there were times when he was a bit absent. There, it is much more constant. »
He has the confidence of his coach. What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in passion and ambition. And in talent.
Ismaël Koné crosses the Montreal sky at the speed of a shooting star. Enjoy the show while she’s still in your line of sight.