CF Montreal experienced a brutal reality check against Orlando City SC on Sunday. The Montrealers lost 2-0 in Florida in this inaugural match of their MLS season, after their great victory in the Champions League last Wednesday.
Posted at 3:12 p.m.
Updated at 4:50 p.m.
A catastrophic second half sounded the death knell for the hopes of Wilfried Nancy’s men. Two goals allowed in 15 minutes, followed by an unequivocal sending off of Romell Quioto in the 66thandthrew a cold shower on the Bleu-blanc-noir under the hot Florida sun.
“It’s definitely a ‘welcome back to MLS,’ commented defender Alistair Johnston via videoconference after the match. […] It is an awakening, a return to reality. »
“We know it’s never easy to go on the road in this league,” added the Canadian international. Even less for the first game of the season against a team that plays such a physical game, with its noisy supporters and this heat. […] We have to learn from our mistakes and move forward. »
If the first half had been well contested, it was more complicated for CF Montreal when they returned from the locker room. At the 49and minute, striker Alexandre Pato confirmed the good performance of his team in the second period. He threaded the needle at the mouth of the net, concretizing his chance on a solid pass from Ruan from the right lane.
“We knew, and the players knew it too, that Ruan likes to take a backseat,” analyzed head coach Wilfried Nancy. We got screwed over that. »
CF Montreal then created its own misfortune in the 59and. Canadian defender Joel Waterman completely missed his raise in front of Breza’s net, and Júnior Urso jumped on the ball like a cat on a stuffed mouse. A quick passing game then passed the ball to Benji Michel to the right of the net. He doubled his team’s lead.
PHOTO NATHAN RAY SEEBECK, USA TODAY SPORTS
Benji Michel scored the second goal for Orlando City SC.
“On the second goal, it’s the decision-making,” commented Nancy. […] It was not the time to play short, it was the time to jump the line. »
“For me, it was not a risk, but it was a question of finding the right decision. There are errors and we will correct the errors. We’ll start over and we’ll make the right decision. »
Tempers had already started to heat up, especially that of Romell Quioto. The Orlando players did not hesitate to raise the mercury a little more in the Honduran striker of CF Montreal.
PHOTO NATHAN RAY SEEBECK, USA TODAY SPORTS
Romell Quioto
Tackled in the bottom of the penalty area at the 66thand by Antônio Carlos, Quioto replied by giving him his shoulder. Robin Jansson came to intervene… and Quioto lost his bearings: he hit him with his two fists in the chest. The official pulled out the red card instantly.
“I’m going to talk to him,” his coach said simply. I trust my player. As a leader, I will sit down with him and discuss. »
Team captain Victor Wanyama said he wanted to “control” his teammate, but also noted attempts by opposing players to “provoke” him.
“It’s not just Romell,” said the Kenyan midfielder. He was trying to piss him off, he was telling him a lot of things. Both players should have been sent off. »
Ironically, Wanyama’s wish ended up being granted: Jansson was also ejected from the match in the 81standbeing shown a second yellow card.
Learning
Nancy talked about learning in the CF Montreal press briefing after the game. It was also a theme in speeches by Alistair Johnston and Victor Wanyama. The Montreal team is young, there are a few new faces in defense, and there are green recruits like Ismaël Koné and Rida Zouhir who are starting to take a position in midfield.
“These are young players and they are progressing well,” said Wanyama, their colleague in the middle. It’s new to them, but it’s the only way to learn. We learn the hard way. This is where they can improve. »
Same story for Alistair Johnston.
“The best way to learn is to be thrown into the mouth of the wolf. […] With time and experience, I’ve learned that you can really sense the times when it would be better to just get rid of the ball anyway. »
“As long as we progress and don’t repeat the same mistakes, it’s something that a young group like ours can take positively. »
The Lions finally framed 3 shots against 2 for the Montrealers, on 8 shots on both sides. Wilfried Nancy’s men had a narrow advantage in possession, with a percentage of 50.7%.
CF Montreal’s next game will also be its first at home of this new MLS season. They will face the Philadelphia Union on March 5 at Olympic Stadium.
Alistair Johnston, who was playing his first game in MLS with Montreal, is looking forward to the team’s return to home.
“It was amazing to put on this jersey and see the logo on my chest,” he said with a smile on his face. I grew up watching this team. […] I can’t wait to play in front of the home crowd. I’ve been waiting for this moment all off season. It felt good to finally have a game behind the tie. »