The international break has allowed some CF Montreal players to regain fitness, but head coach Hernan Losada still doesn’t know when he’ll be able to field an optimal starting XI.
Losada has mentioned several times over the past two weeks that the break is timely, that it will help heal the few minor injuries his players have suffered. He wasn’t wrong, somehow.
With a few exceptions among the starters – namely goalkeeper James Pantemis (shoulder) and midfielder Matko Miljevic (knee) – the 40-year-old Argentine recently welcomed the return to training of Quebec midfielder Samuel Piette as well as defensemen Aaron Herrera and George Campbell.
Like a miracle, defender Kamal Miller played 80 minutes in Montreal’s 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Union on March 18, just days after the head coach confirmed to reporters that he would not be available for the confrontation.
Since the start of the season, Losada probably hasn’t had the opportunity to work with so many potential regulars and he’s not complaining about it.
“It feels good to have more options in training. The break has really done us good and the players are coming back little by little, he said on Wednesday during the team’s training at the Olympic Stadium. We can see that in training there is a bit more competition. The level has increased and I’m happy about that. »
Nevertheless, the season continues for the Bleu-blanc-noir and the returns of some players also come with the loss of another. Losada said midfielder Lassi Lappalainen will not play Saturday night against the Whitecaps in Vancouver. The Finn had been used for 80 minutes against Union, despite an injury that does not seem to have healed over time.
The juggling is not yet over for the head coach of CF Montreal, who still wants to control what he can control. While hoping that players stand out and respond when the time comes.
“I don’t know when I’m going to have my best starting XI. It depends on the opponents, our physical form, the injuries in our training, he observed. I hope to have the most players available from week to week, but it depends on several factors. It is, however, the strength of the league. You need all your training to win and it’s up to the guys to be ready when they get a chance. »
Lappalainen gave Losada plenty of leeway against the Union, when he was used as a right-back to replace Herrera, who was injured late in the game in Nashville.
Herrera should normally return to his position on the right as if nothing had happened, but he and the team have taken their precautions in training this week.
“I’m ready to come back to the game for Saturday’s game. My recovery is not 100 percent, but we are managing my injury as much as possible and my training this week so that I am ready to play this weekend, “said the American, who has completed his formalities for now. represent Guatemala on the international stage.
Losada also hopes to be able to count on the services of striker Romell Quioto. The Honduran played 68 minutes against Canada in a CONCACAF Nations League tie on Tuesday and was absent from training on Wednesday.
“Hopefully Romell will be available on Saturday. He arrives from Toronto today (Wednesday). He played on Tuesday and last week. It’s a lot of games and a lot of minutes for him, in addition to travel. We hope he will be with us in Vancouver,” said the head coach of the Montreal troupe.
Defender Robert Thorkelsson, who represented Iceland in the under-21s, was back with his CF Montreal teammates. Striker Jojea Kwizera, who still hasn’t played this season, made a few rounds of the pitch before training before undergoing treatment with a hamstring injury.
Elsewhere, Losada gave a slightly clearer timeline for injuries to Pantemis and Miljevic.
Injured in the right shoulder, Pantemis would not have to undergo surgery, but he should still miss four to six weeks of play. In the case of Miljevic, he has already started to do some work on the pitch and he should be back in Montreal in two or three weeks.