“As long as we create chances, I’m not worried”, concluded Hernán Losada after the second defeat of his team in two outings.
After 180 minutes of play, CF Montreal has not yet managed to shake the ropes. He was first cleared by Inter Miami before having the same blow played by Austin FC on Saturday night.
“I think we really deserve more than no goals and no points in two games. But it’s not about merit,” Losada noted.
We must admit that Losada is right on the second point. The professional sports industry only has the results as a scale to evaluate the performance of athletes.
To judge the successes or failures: the ranking. CF Montreal ranks last in the Eastern Conference and is currently penultimate in the Garber circuit.
Rankings don’t tell the whole story, however. The troops of Losada created 2.2 goals expected according to the specialized site Fbref after two meetings. A more than respectable brand – good for 14e circuit rank – which confirms what the driver is trying to explain.
The club have chances, but they are unable to convert them. Bad luck, lack of finish or inadequate personnel, the lines are open.
The problem is that Losada have a full squad up front, apart from the absence of attacking midfielder Matko Miljevic. It is rather in central defense that the club has several cripples.
Three central defenders are currently in the infirmary: Joel Waterman, George Campbell and Robert Thorkelsson. During the last match, Samuel Piette helped out in defense, but one thing is certain, the defensive block has struggled to hold on since the start of the campaign.
In terms of expected opponent goals, the CFM allowed 4.4. Only the Rapids do worse, and generally being in the same third as the Colorado club doesn’t bode well.
Without the prowess of goaltender Jonathan Sirois, the result would have been very different. He is also first in the league for goals saved per game.
To quote Losada, Sirois experienced a “top match,” which also covered up CFM’s defensive shortcomings.
That said, when Waterman returns to central defense, which should happen on Saturday against Nashville SC, the team should get back on their feet.
But ultimately, the portrait of the playoffs is based on a single criterion: positioning in the standings. And the CFM starts its season two games behind its rivals.
So-called quest for redemption
After two games, forward Mason Toye took the field for a total of zero minutes. In 2021, then aged 22, the American had scored 7 goals in 14 games. Then injuries sidelined him for the rest of the campaign.
His return in 2022 was anything but triumphant. Two goals – scored in the same game – and several missed chances in 18 games summed up his second season under Wilfried Nancy.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Mason Toye
So in 2023, with a new head coach, Toye could get off to a good start. However, a few physical glitches kept him out for several preseason games.
Losada confirmed Toye, who was benched twice, is injury free “because he wouldn’t be on the bench otherwise.”
In the last two meetings, the Argentine head coach revealed his attacking order. Romell Quioto started twice, while Sunusi Ibrahim and Chinonso Offor got minutes in both games.
That means Toye, who had the team’s seventh-highest salary in 2022 at $558,000, has dropped to fourth among forwards.
Note that the positioning in the hierarchy between Toye and the young Quebec forward Jules-Anthony Vilsaint is unknown.
When Losada was asked why he didn’t bring Toye into the game against Austin, he didn’t seem convinced that his American forward was the answer.
“When you lose, you’re always going to talk about the players who haven’t played,” he summed up.
And he didn’t start praising Toye. Maybe, one day, his turn will come, but in the meantime, it seems obvious that Losada doesn’t see him as an ace in his game.