Five minutes. That’s all it took for CF Montreal to demonstrate the extent of the transformation it experienced in the off-season. Because from the start of this first match of the 2024 campaign, in Orlando, we saw him display an inspired, enthusiastic, offensive game.
It got a little complicated afterwards, as evidenced by this 0-0 result. Which still constitutes an excellent first point collected on the road.
After a frenzied start to the match, both teams slowed down the pace, which benefited the Lions in the game. Until the tempo picked up again at the end of the match.
Newcomers Matías Cóccaro and Dominik Iankov were started by head coach Laurent Courtois. This means that all these beautiful people made their MLS debut on Saturday evening.
PHOTO NATHAN RAY SEEBECK, USA TODAY SPORTS
Dominic Iankov defeats Nicolas Lodeiro
Cóccaro, in particular, looked very well in these first minutes. Used at the tip of an attacking trident completed by Bryce Duke and Iankov, he was the source of early threats in the Florida final third.
But Montreal failed to take advantage of it. Subsequently, the premises regained color. Until finishing the meeting with 58% of possession.
Two of them came at the very end of the match. Jonathan Sirois picked up where he left off last season, winning at the last minute with point-blank shots. Montreal narrowly avoided disaster, thanks to its jailer.
PHOTO MORGAN TENCZA, USA TODAY SPORTS
Jonathan Sirois was solid in front of the Montreal net, especially late in the game.
Moments later, in stoppage time, a escaping Kwadwo Opoku had the winning goal at the end of his foot, but Pedro Gallese made a Jonathan Sirois of himself by blocking the advanced shot in the area.
Opoku entered the game a little after the hour mark alongside none other than Josef Martínez, who thus obtained his first minutes in the Montreal jersey. He also missed a golden opportunity, in the 79theon a shot taken on the edge of the area after a well-worked sequence by Montreal.
PHOTO MORGAN TENCZA, USA TODAY SPORTS
Matias Cóccaro heads a ball.
Is this a point stolen abroad for Laurent Courtois’ men? The projected goals statistic, especially interesting for evaluating the pace of a match, ultimately went to the advantage of Orlando which, depending on the quality of its chances, should have scored 1.4 goals compared to 0.8 for Montreal .
Yes, at the first light of the 2024 season, the Bleu-blanc-noir is still a work in progress. But the first drafts suggest an elegant final product.
It promises.