The list of substitutes for CF Montreal on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union should have served as a clue. Of the nine players sitting on the bench at kick-off, there were five defenders, two midfielders… and two goalkeepers. No attacker. And it was felt in the second half of the match.
Facing a one-goal drop with just over 30 minutes to go, and with an extra man on the pitch from the 72and minute, CF Montreal couldn’t come back up the hill and they suffered a second setback in as many MLS outings in 2022, losing 2-1 at Olympic Stadium.
After a decent first half, in which they got four shots on target and took the lead thanks to Lassi Lappalainen’s goal on 32and minute of play, Wilfried Nancy’s men only added one shot on target in the second half.
This stat does not include the one that Djordje Mihailovic lodged in the ropes at the 49and minute, but which was later erased because the American midfielder was caught out for a foul in the center circle.
In fact, after Julian Carranza was sent off for a second yellow card, in the 71and minute, there was only one shot on target from both clubs. It came from Mikael Uhre of Union on a breakaway in the 90and minute.
Had it not been for a good reaction from goalkeeper Sebastian Breza, there would have been no suspense during the six minutes of added time.
As he mentioned after the meeting, Nancy had to deal with the elements he had on hand. However, of the five attackers who normally make up the Montreal squad, two were sidelined due to illness (Sunusi Ibrahim and Bjorn Johnsen), one missed the game due to injury (Mason Toye) and another , Romell Quioto, was forced to play the role of spectator because of a silly red card picked up the previous week.
That left only Kei Kamara, whom sporting director Olivier Renard acquired in mid-February after he realized he would run out of offensive ammunition, at least for a while early in the season.
At his 300and MLS start, the 37-year-old Sierra Leonean spent all 90 minutes on the pitch, but was limited to just one shot, off target, in the 69and minute.
If Kamara hasn’t been as effective as he would have liked — he took some of the blame for the club’s attacking lapses on Saturday — his presence in a locker room full of young players could have long-term positive repercussions.
After the difficult defeat the team had just suffered, Kamara spoke with confidence and lucidity. He also tried to be reassuring by putting things in as broad a perspective as possible.
“We weren’t effective today (Saturday). All in all, I could have done more. But it’s only the second game of the season, and it was my first start. I’m sure the cohesion will be better next time,” he first said.
“It was our first home game and we were hoping for a positive result. However, we cannot dwell on this result. The good thing is that we have to play another game immediately, and it’s a big game in Mexico on Wednesday night. Everyone will have to do their part to bounce back. »