CF Montreal’s next game is special for head coach Hernan Losada, but not for the reason you might think.
Losada will face his former team on Saturday night when DC United are at Saputo Stadium, but he quickly brushed aside any feelings of revenge that might have been inside him.
“I don’t see the game against DC United any differently. It’s only different because it will be the first game of the season at Stade Saputo. We hope to have a lot of support as was the case at the Olympic Stadium,” he said.
Losada had a rocky stint at the helm of Team USA, between January 2021 and April 2022. Under him, DC United missed the playoffs by one point before he became embroiled in a social media controversy.
A few weeks after Losada’s dismissal, former DC United goalkeeper Chris Seitz released a series of 14 tweets denouncing harsh practices within the team which was then managed by the Argentine. Seitz said he had to weigh himself every day and that stress led to mental and physical health issues.
Losada seems to have left that story behind, and with good reason. He has other fish to fry currently, while his club occupies the 15e and last tier of the multi-chapter Eastern Association. He badly needs this return home to try to build something positive.
The good news for CF Montreal (1-5-0) is that DC United (1-4-2) aren’t exactly what you would call a powerhouse after seven games. Wayne Rooney’s men meet at 13e level of the East, two points ahead of the Bleu-blanc-noir, and they have not won in their last six outings.
However, the Montrealers are not in a position to take anyone lightly and Losada knows it very well.
“DC has several players who have a lot of experience. The team has invested a lot of money, but there are new players. It also takes time to adapt. We must respect them as we do with all the other teams in the league. It will be a tight game between two teams that need to get points. “, he observed.
CF Montreal is coming back from two embarrassing losses abroad. They lost 5-0 to the Vancouver Whitecaps two weeks ago before losing 4-0 to the New England Revolution last Saturday.
In addition to the flagrant lack of offensive creativity, it is the lack of defensive cohesion that hurt the Montreal troops. According to defender Zachary Brault-Guillard, DC United’s style of play may not be convenient for the home side.
“DC is a fairly physical team and that’s where we’ve been failing lately, in defensive duels. It’s up to us to react well, he said. It’s not easy to pull yourself together after taking big scores away from home. We did it in front of our fans against the Philadelphia Union and it’s up to us to repeat it against DC. It’s up to us to show that we have the fangs at home. »
Losada aren’t making excuses for the lackluster results since the start of the season, but their side still played five of their first six games away, earning their only win of the season when they returned make a stop at the Olympic Stadium, against the Union.
CF Montreal begins a decisive streak of three games at home, including the Canadian Championship duel, and five in six at Saputo Stadium. If they want to climb the ranks in the general classification, the Montrealers will have to make the most of this series of games.
“It’s a league in which we see a lot of home wins,” said goaltender Jonathan Sirois. It feels good to be back for our real opener. We had success in the game at the Olympic Stadium and we hope it will be repeated against DC.
This will be the Bleu-blanc-noir’s first game since the trade of defender Kamal Miller to Inter Miami CF on Wednesday for midfielder Bryce Duke and forward Ariel Lassiter.
Duke and Lassiter arrived in Montreal Thursday afternoon and they could be available to perform their baptism of fire with their new formation.
One thing is certain, forwards Mason Toye (knee), Romell Quioto (leg) and Jojea Kwizera (hamstring) will not be in uniform for CF Montreal, as will midfielder Lassi Lappalainen (leg). Midfielders Samuel Piette and Matko Miljevic as well as goalkeeper James Pantemis, among others, are already missing.