On a few occasions this season, Wilfried Nancy has told reporters that he does not look at the MLS rankings. He was an exception to this rule on Sunday and when he ended the exercise he admittedly felt “regret.”
After the games played over the weekend in MLS, CF Montreal (11-10-10) has 43 points and shares sixth place in the Eastern Conference with the New York Red Bulls (12-11-7) and Atlanta United (11-9-10). But because the Montreal team played one more game than these two clubs, it occupies, in fact, the eighth echelon. It is a rank below the bar that defines the teams that will qualify for the playoffs and those that will be excluded after the final day of November 7.
And we must not forget, in this bitter fight, New York City FC (12-11-8), which ranks fifth, one point ahead of the other three, and DC United (12-14-5), which located two points from CF Montreal
“From the start of the year, I knew it took between 13 and 15 wins to make the playoffs,” Nancy said on video conference Monday. “Now that we have three games left, of course it’s important to watch [le classement]. I spent time and, as a competitor, I had a little lump in my stomach. I’m not saying we should have ten more points; I say that with two or three more points, it would have been a little more interesting. That would have justified what we do well, ”he qualified.
The head coach did not embark on a list of games where his team lost points in the final seconds, like Saturday night in Toronto, for example. Just as he wants to avoid analyzing the schedule of formations against which his players fight, including the duel of November 3 between Atlanta United and the Red Bulls, which could help the cause of his troop.
“We watched everything. Again, I’m not too big of a fan of this because it’s guesswork and from experience – it’s been quite a while now that I’m with the first team – there are always weird results. When I say weird, it’s that we don’t expect teams to win and, ultimately, they will win, because there are some who are already in the playoffs, who make rotations, because that everyone can win against everyone, ”noted the CF Montreal head coach.
“Indeed, there are big matches that are coming, there are teams that will meet, Already yesterday [dimanche]It started with New England and Orlando. New England had rested all the “frames”, that is explained, and I understand why. Afterwards, it’s fiction, it’s supposition. What interests me is that we are always masters of our destiny. We play against the New York Red Bulls next week, we have to have a good result against them. “
This crucial match, next Saturday, could mark the return to the game of Romell Quioto, who has not played since CF Montreal’s victory against Atlanta United on October 2. During this game, Quioto scored both goals for his team in a 2-1 victory.
In addition, the Finnish Lassi Lappalainen is again available, him whose last outing dates back to September 25 against the Crew of Columbus.