Samuel Piette will be the first to admit his faults after a match. As he will often be the first to present himself to journalists within minutes of a disappointing result or, even worse, a heartbreaking outcome as was the case on Saturday. And often, too, he deserves points for his frankness and lucidity.
For a second weekend in a row, and at least the fourth time in 2021, CF Montreal conceded a stoppage goal in the second half which deprived them of valuable points in the standings.
For once she seemed destined to collect points in the castle of the New York Red Bulls – something she had only managed on one regular season occasion in 11 attempts since entering MLS -, instead, the Montreal team left New Jersey empty-handed following a painful 1-0 loss.
A goal from Fabio at the 91e minute came to throw disarray in the Montreal camp, as did the net of Joey Altidore in the 95e minute last Saturday in a 1-1 draw in Toronto.
After Saturday’s game, Piette admitted that players were feeling frustration and disappointment after another hard-to-digest outcome.
“I don’t think we deserve to lose this afternoon [samedi] and not get the win over Toronto. I’m not saying, either, that in those two cases, we played big games. But I think that, if you watch the game, you are better than the opponent, without necessarily creating a ton of chances offensively. I think that’s our problem right now, ”first analyzed Piette, who has played every minute of CF Montreal’s last five games.
“We are in frustration, also admitted the Quebec midfielder. I think especially at the level of the defensive players, the midfielders, because we have the impression that we have to play the perfect match every time to save ourselves with the points, something which, in the long run, is difficult and heavy, and not always doable. Of course there is frustration, especially with three games to go, now two. We had to go get at least one point, to ensure that New York does not take points. “
From one game to the next, CF Montreal is rarely dominated in terms of possession of the ball. On Saturday, in fact, it was Wilfried Nancy’s men who played with the ball most often, nearly 64 percent of the match.
However, CF Montreal was limited to seven shots attempted and only one on target – dangerous, it must be said – in the eighth minute of the match, against 16 shots attempted and five on target by the Red Bulls. Exactly 40 minutes passed between CF Montreal’s last attempted shot in the first half and its first in the second half.
With the exception of a possession time of 46.9%, the statistics were about the same last Saturday against Toronto: 7 shots attempted, only one on target – who found the back of the net, however – in 55e minute. Toronto FC, for their part, had 9 shots on target in 16 attempts.
In its two other outings over the past two weeks, in Orlando and Hamilton, as part of the Canadian Championship, CF Montreal had also conceded the advantage to its rivals in terms of shots attempted and shots on target, despite a delay. possession approaching 50% in the aggregate of these two games.
Obviously, the absences of Romell Quioto, since the match of October 2, and of Mason Toye, since mid-August, do not help the cause of the Montreal team. We are talking about the two top scorers of the team with 8 and 7 goals in 17 and 14 games respectively.
Toye will not return in 2021 while Quioto could be in uniform next Wednesday night at Saputo Stadium against the Houston Dynamo, his former team. Although after a month-long absence there is no indication that the Honduran could play for 90 minutes.
Anyway, it will be a game that CF Montreal (11-11-10), now 10e in the Eastern Conference and 3 points from seventh, will absolutely have to win.
Not only because of the poor quality of the opponent, a club that is already out of the race in the Western Conference, but also because even a draw will likely spell the end of a season filled with promise.