DC United 1 – CF Montreal 0 | “Caught in the gears” of DC, Montreal bows

We were ready to talk about a stolen draw in Washington. We must finally report a logical 1-0 defeat for CF Montreal at DC United.

Because the CFM suffered, resisted, bent… until it broke at the end of the meeting. At the 85^e minute, Pedro Santos gave the locals the lead with a nice shot from distance. A goal which confirmed the ascendancy of a DCU with intense pressing.

“It’s really the most competitive team we’ve met so far,” remarked Laurent Courtois after the match.

“It was a very, very, very disciplined team,” added goalie Jonathan Sirois. Certainly the most disciplined of the five matches we played. »

“It was not a very pleasant match to play, nor to watch,” noted Samuel Piette.

You see the picture.

DC’s “traps”

Despite some interesting ups and downs, Montreal struggled to settle its game on Saturday evening. And yet, Laurent Courtois had the luxury of deploying for the first time the trio composed of Dominic Iankov, Josef Martínez and Matías Cóccaro, all starters in attack. In theory, this is the ideal offensive trident for the CFM. In practice, it quickly became apparent that these three players had not yet found their synchronicity.

“It’s certain that there are negative elements,” underlines Courtois. But I see a lot of positive aspects in certain associations, in the fact that we find people and players who save minutes by getting back into shape. »

What’s more, their almost exclusively offensive assignment gave free rein to DC United, who overwhelmed the midfield and the Montreal zone, particularly in the first half. How complicated it was for the Bleu-blanc-noir. Piette and Mathieu Choinière were too thin a net to contain the pressure from the Black-and-Red.

“DC blocked us in the middle, waiting for us to play on the side,” analyzed the CFM captain. As soon as we sent the ball to [Gabriele] Corbo or [Fernando] Álvarez, they were pressing at 100 miles an hour. That’s not what we wanted to do, but we had no choice, because of the traps they were setting for us. »

Would he have liked to have a little more support from the attackers, as if isolated in their portion of the field? Piette rather calls into question the opposing game strategy, at the source of the issues in the construction of the Montreal game.

He further notes that it was almost impossible for his team to break out from behind, and when they did, “the only options” were to hand the aforementioned defenders the leather.

“And for attackers, even more so when you touch the ball less, you are a little more hesitant, you don’t really know when to go down to ask for the ball. […] In the end, it’s less well oiled, you doubt, so you’re caught in a kind of spiral. »

Moreover, Christian Benteke, as usual, was a constant threat in the air and in the area. Out of 11 aerial duels, he won 9.

“It’s not something that’s surprising,” recalled Sirois. We know his physique, his advantages. […] This is the third or fourth time I’ve played against him. I’m still accustomed to his style. »

“They gave everything”

Obviously, with so much energy spent at the start, DC United had heavy legs in the second. Which allowed Montreal to assert itself a little more.

“I had a discussion with assistant coach David Sauvry when we were on our way to the locker room for halftime,” Piette revealed. We saw the same thing. Iankov was asked to play a little more like a number 10, […] not to stay too high with their line of defense, to float between the lines. He was a little more influential in the second half, before coming out. »

Eventually, we even saw the potential of said trio. A sequence which ended with a Martínez shot blocked by goalkeeper Alex Bono in the 61st^ethe best chance for either side in the second half so far.

This opportunity gave some desire to Montreal, which even made it believe that there was a move to play in this match which we thought almost inaccessible after the first 45 minutes.

Until the stabbing of Pedro Santos. We said it: a logical goal for a victory that makes sense.

In the process, if there is one who is losing his feathers at the moment in the CFM, it is Bryce Duke. His entry into play at 73^e not only gave nothing, she almost clipped the wings of her own. Lacking confidence, he demonstrates his lack of realism.

“I think there is a way to be a little more efficient to create more danger in an emergency,” said the head coach when asked about his team’s bumpy end to the match. It’s up to me to be clearer. But I have nothing to reproach my players, in the effort and the fight, they gave everything. »

So here is Montreal falling back to earth with two consecutive defeats after five games on the road.

“It wasn’t perfect, but they’re good lessons to learn tonight,” Piette said. We keep our heads high. »

RISING

Jonathan Sirois

If not for a few of his parades, the suspense would have been a lot less thrilling in this encounter. After his half-blunder, combined with the crazy wind, which cost Chicago the game two weeks ago, his four-save performance was reassuring on Saturday night.

FALLING

Josef Martinez

We felt him angry and not very engaged in the attack. It must be said that the pace of the match did not help him stand out: his teammates never managed to offer him the service he wanted. Nevertheless, we saw him walk when he could have run, stay up top when he could have contributed to the defensive effort. Despite everything, he got a great opportunity to score, and we could have forgiven him everything. Frustrating match for Martínez.