Definitely. A week after suffering a humiliating setback against the New England Revolution, CF Montreal was manhandled by FC Cincinnati, who won 4-1.
Seven days ago, CF Montreal allowed five goals. After the game, coach Laurent Courtois appeared before the media with a crestfallen expression. His attitude was completely different on Saturday: calm, he painted a generally positive portrait of his team’s performance.
“It’s different [du dernier match]he commented. I think the guys were in the game plan, after a fairly interesting first half, even if we can do better. We were ambitious and positive.
The players’ sentiment was quite different. Right-back Dawid Bugaj was keen to apologise to the fans. Fernando Álvarez echoed the sentiment a few minutes later.
“It’s painful for the fans, what we’re experiencing,” he said, his gaze lowered. “We’re not doing enough. Everyone has to work harder.”
PHOTO KATIE STRATMAN, USA TODAY SPORTS
Fernando Alvarez (right)
We need to work more as a team, we need to act more as a family, not just with the team, but with the fans. We’re not giving them the results they deserve.
Fernando Alvarez
Humiliation
Whether we agree or not with the effort made by CF Montreal, one reality remains: the third goal allowed was downright humiliating.
At 57e minute, Montreal awarded a free kick behind the halfway line to the opponent. A seemingly harmless free kick. But right winger Luca Orellano took everyone by surprise.
While the defense was elsewhere, the FC Cincinnati player went for a lob that fooled Jonathan Sirois’ vigilance. The Quebec jailer saw the ball at the last second, tried to deflect it, but it was too late. Orellano had just scored his second goal of the match.
PHOTO KATIE STRATMAN, USA TODAY SPORTS
Goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois was beaten four times.
“These are really very disappointing goals,” agreed Laurent Courtois, going against his optimism of the evening. “I think everyone took a hit. Afterwards, I can’t blame the guys for not trying.” [de se reprendre par la suite]. »
Half full
Eight shots attempted against zero. Only 42% possession. Six corner kicks awarded. CF Montreal was simply not in the game in the first half. Laurent Courtois still takes some positives from it.
“Considering the last match […] we had a game plan in which we wanted to be the team that transitions, that forces the opponent a little,” he analyzes.
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Caden Clark (23) and head coach Laurent Courtois
We were in what we wanted to do. Unfortunately, the scenario of the second half put us in other circumstances.
Laurent Courtois, head coach of CF Montreal
The numerous corner kicks awarded allowed Cincinnati to maintain constant pressure. At the 36e minute, the Bleu-blanc-noir conceded a sixth. Samuel Piette managed to clear the attempt, which nevertheless remained in the last 30 meters. Center forward Kevin Kelsy went for a shot that ricocheted successively off Tom Pearce and Joel Waterman, before landing in the back of the net.
PHOTO KATIE STRATMAN, USA TODAY SPORTS
CF Montreal defender Tom Pearce (46) in the first half
Joel Waterman’s tough day at the office continued early in the second half. The defender held Kelsy just before he entered the box, forcing a free kick into the danger zone that set up Orellano’s second goal.
Josef Martinez and Bryce Duke, left out, did not participate in the match. Matías Cóccaro and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, for their part, joined the training.
CF Montreal has seven games left to hope to qualify for the playoffs. “If the guys stop conceding goals like that, they know they are capable [d’y accéder] “, says Laurent Courtois.
CF Montreal scored just one goal during the month of August, a period in which it played three games.