Six teams remain alive in the Eastern Conference for the three spots available for the MLS playoffs. CF Montreal is one of them, and all its attention will be focused on just one of the other teams in contention, in the type of match that any competitor who is fueled by adrenaline and challenges dreams of.
Two weeks before the official start of the playoffs – scheduled for Saturday, November 20 – CF Montreal (12-11-10 – 46 points) will play a one-night stand against Orlando City SC (12-9-12 – 48 points), when the curtain falls in MLS, Sunday afternoon at Saputo stadium.
Wilfried Nancy’s men gave themselves this opportunity with their 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night in Montreal.
Canadian defenseman Kamal Miller, author of the insurance net, looks forward to Sunday’s duel with excitement. A game that the Montreal team has no choice but to win to take part in the playoffs. “It will be intoxicating, that’s for sure. This is what we all live for. It is for these big games, these great moments that we devote all these hours, all this hard work. These are games where you can become a great player, ”Miller said.
The feeling will be all the stronger for Miller as this meeting will oppose him to his former team, with which he participated in 28 meetings in 2019 and 2020. “It’s going to be a great experience. I still have a lot of friends on this team, and many of them are very sincere people. I think I got between five and ten messages from Orlando players wishing me good luck for the game. [de mercredi]. There is no animosity, ”he assured.
To experience a match like the one that awaits it on Sunday, CF Montreal first had to beat Houston, a team that showed up at Saputo Stadium without the slightest stake in the Western Conference since it had already been eliminated. His only ambitions were to play the spoilsport and win a first victory in enemy territory in 2021.
In addition, CF Montreal players had to banish from their minds the bitter 1-0 loss suffered Saturday against the New York Red Bulls, and not be disturbed by the departure of the team president, Kevin Gilmore, announced the day before.
During her post-match video conference, Nancy quickly hovered over the second point, saying her players were unaffected by the news and were focused on the game.