When forwards Matías Cóccaro and Josef Martinez signed contracts with CF Montreal, they were expected to contribute offensively and they did. But in their absence, who will take care of scoring goals?
The Bleu-blanc-noir is used to seeing his infirmary fill up little by little at the start of the season, but when injuries affect a position in particular – and the attack in general – there would be cause for concern.
“I’m not a doctor,” warned head coach Laurent Courtois on Friday before his team’s training at the Nutrilait Center. He was still able to provide updates on the numerous injuries plaguing his group.
First, Cóccaro is expected to be sidelined for eight to ten weeks. The Uruguayan, who has three goals and one assist this season, appeared to injure his right leg following a tackle by Luca Orellano during a 2-1 win over FC Cincinnati on Saturday last.
Martínez, who replaced Cóccaro against FC Cincinnati and who has two goals and three assists in 2024, was injured in training on Wednesday. In his case, the messages are a little more contradictory. The Venezuelan expects a hasty return to play while the Montreal team prefers caution.
One thing is certain, the two players will not be in uniform on Saturday evening, when CF Montreal (3-3-1) welcomes Orlando City SC (2-3-2) at Saputo stadium.
The attack could have been taken over by Kwadwo Opoku and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, but they have also been injured for more than a month already.
Opoku injured his ankle in Dallas during the second game of the campaign on March 2. He has started running on the pitch again and is nearing a return to action. Vilsaint injured his knee against Inter Miami CF on March 10. He trained this week and all he needs is to get back into shape to be used again.
In the meantime, it is the depth of Montrealers which will have to be highlighted if they want to sign a second consecutive victory on Saturday. For Raheem Edwards, who won the MLS Cup with Toronto FC in 2017, this is what separates the aspirants from the contenders.
“We’re saddened by the injuries, but it’s the mentality of the next man up to take over. What makes a team good in MLS is depth, and our group has plenty of that. I’ve been part of some good training sessions and that’s always what came up mainly. Everyone is capable of stepping up their game and I have confidence in our other forwards,” said Edwards.
Against FC Cincinnati, Ariel Lassiter was used higher up the pitch and he eventually scored the game-winner. Sunusi Ibrahim and Mason Toye will likely be called upon to take the bites too. Ibrahim has only played 90 minutes this season, but he has found the back of the net once. Toye only played 27 minutes, but he has already shown in the past that he has the qualities to thread the needle.
For Courtois, the players have everything to gain from seizing the opportunity that will present itself to them in the next matches, but the work must be done upstream.
“When you have ambitions, you have to show it every day and not just during a match. We try with our staff to convince the players that we must see it every day, in preparation, in recovery and in how to put themselves in a position to win big. It’s about knowing how you’re going to react when you go on the field, and that doesn’t happen overnight. If we haven’t done our homework in training all these weeks, we won’t see him in a match. We will have a little idea on Saturday,” explained the head coach.
A game of chess
What Courtois could also see on Saturday is an opponent who still has in mind the draw that CF Montreal snatched at the season opener at the Inter&Co Stadium.
The Orlando squad got back on track after starting the campaign with a record of 0-3-1. Since then, she has not lost in her last three outings and is coming back from a 3-2 victory in Washington.
Courtois expects a methodical game, but he is confident that if his players impose their pace as they did against FC Cincinnati, positive results will follow.
“Orlando is a team that impresses me. I am very respectful towards them, but I also know that our guys can do anything and fear no one, he insisted. For our part, I expect to see what happened last week. Somewhere, they might want a little revenge. We have to be a little more unpredictable and attract them into areas where we have superiority. It will be a game of chess on the field, but it will also be war. »
The CF Montreal head coach said Dominic Iankov suffered a “little relapse” of his hamstring injury, but that he felt good. He will need to get back into shape and rhythm before he can return to the game.