The matches follow one another at a frantic pace and the players are exhausted. Such is life at CF Montreal these days.

On Wednesday, the Impact was in Washington. On Saturday he will be in Philadelphia. Then he will complete his streak on the road Wednesday in Vancouver in the final of the Canadian Championship. That’s a lot of points collected on the Air Miles card, or kilometers on the bus counter.

While the Montrealers are at the height of an 11-game-in-36-day streak, the Losada troops are on their toes and the duel against the Union could be sacrificed to increase their chances of lifting the Voyageurs Cup.

With Hernán Losada saying the Cup semi-final was “the most important game of the season”, it’s a safe bet that this clash against the Whitecaps will be even bigger.

“I’m tired, but that’s the nature of the league. I still prefer to play in the final of the Canadian Championship next week, in Vancouver, than not to be there, “admitted Waterman, Thursday at a press conference.

All the protagonists of the CFM are of the same opinion that fatigue cannot be an excuse, but on the other hand, they have all admitted that it bastardizes performance. This is possibly the time for the Bleu-blanc-noir pilot to do what he did not dare during the Cup matches and to rotate.

Players like Zachary Brault-Guillard, James Pantemis and Sean Rea have all shown they can keep up with the pace of an MLS game. Some substitutes could also see their names called like Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, Róbert Thorkelsson and Jojea Kwizera. In short, the time for the audition may well have come.

What’s more, ahead of them will be the Union, one of the greatest strongholds in MLS. In its last 30 outings at Subaru Park, the Philadelphia club has lost only once (22-1-7).

Then comes a dilemma. Trying your luck against the powerhouse that is the Union and arriving with sore troops for the Canadian Championship final or undermining your chances for a match against an Eastern Conference rival.

Judging by Losada’s speech, several supporting actors could be brought to the fore in Saturday night’s duel.

After leaving the game against DC United on a stretcher, centre-back Rudy Camacho should be able to answer the call against Union. After the game, Losada confirmed that his abdominal injury was not too serious, despite the violent fall suffered by the Frenchman.