Rudy Camacho is lucid heading into Saturday’s duel against the New York Red Bulls. The shutout victory of CF Montreal obtained Tuesday in the Canadian Championship against a semi-professional club is not a guarantee of success for the rest of things.
Aware of the club’s checkered performances since the start of the season, the Bleu-blanc-noir central defender has described his own performances as “not satisfactory” so far.
“I’m not as good as I should be. Like several players individually, we are not at the level, “he noted Thursday morning at Center Nutrilait before the training session.
The chance to turn the page for Camacho comes as a new era dawns in central defence. After the departure of Kamal Miller, the trio that he also formed with Joel Waterman and with which he made the rain and especially the good weather, must get a makeover.
At the base, and literally in the center, of this central hinge is the Frenchman.
Several players could support Camacho during the meeting. Gabriele Corbo has featured in the club’s last three meetings, Róbert Thorkelsson played all 90 minutes against Vaughan Azzurri on Tuesday and George Campbell featured in his first game of the campaign.
According to CFM head coach Hernán Losada, in addition to Campbell who still lacks a bit of rhythm, all the central defenders will be available for the duel between them and New Yorkers.
“We’re going to use the centre-backs that we believe are going to give us the biggest chance of winning. »
The Argentinian driver made it clear that he would like to develop an eleven type, or at least have “nine or 10 players” who will form a skeleton to promote automation. He added that such stability has not been possible due to injuries and suspensions.
To develop these automatisms, this chemistry, whether in front or behind, the players need time underlined Losada.
“The other teams know how the CFM has been playing for two or three years, admitted the Montreal eleven coach. So we tried to motivate our players to play faster. We know that this year it’s not the same attacking players as last year, so we need time to find the automatisms.
“If we want the offensive players to have more time to find a solution and to get there we need faster ball circulation in defense. »
Camacho agreed, saying he had “gotten used to it” under Thierry Henry and Wilfried Nancy, but being aware that Losada wanted him to “play faster”.
The 32-year-old defender went on to assure that the technical waste CFM has suffered this season is not a result of the coach’s vertically focused style of play.
Acquired last Thursday with Bryce Duke from Inter Miami, Ariel Lassiter said he believed he could help the Montreal club reverse the trend.
“Coming from outside, you can add a certain freshness to the team,” he said. Bryce and I had a rough patch with Miami last year, but we turned it around. »
His contribution may not have been felt in the 45 minutes against D.C. United, but was decisive in his first start with the club.
After a run into the back of the defence, Lassiter served a caviar to Sunusi Ibrahim, who only had to thread the needle. This insurance goal was invaluable for the Montrealers, who ultimately triumphed 2-0.
“That’s what I want to do. I want to bring speed, find spaces behind defenders and stretch the defense,” said Lassiter, who mentioned being able to play anywhere on the pitch but prefers to be close to the opposition net.
His next challenge will be daunting as CFM takes on one of the best defenses in the Garber circuit. The Red Bulls have conceded only seven goals in eight games while the Impact has only three successes in MLS.