(Montreal) After all their setbacks in MLS since the start of the season, CF Montreal could do with a convincing result in the Canadian Championship, but nothing seems to indicate a walk in the park.
A few days after losing 1-0 against D.C. United in their first game of the campaign at Saputo Stadium, conceding a sixth shutout in seven games, the Bleu-blanc-noir will quickly find its supporters by hosting the Vaughan Azzurri on Tuesday night in the first round of the Canadian Championship.
At first glance, this duel between a professional MLS team and a semi-professional Ontario club might seem uneven, but at the rate things are going for CF Montreal (1-6-0) in 2023, all opponents have the potential to give him a hard time.
And the Vaughan Azzurri is not the last to come. The Toronto team won the League1 Ontario title in 2022, undefeated in 23 games including the playoffs (20-0-3).
She arrives in Montreal as an underdog, but don’t think she won’t be taken seriously.
“We’re taking Tuesday’s game the same as every other game since the start of the season. This is an opportunity to accomplish something positive this year. They are the champions in Ontario and they have to be respected even though the coach and a few players from last year are gone,” CF Montreal head coach Hernan Losada said Monday following a 40-minute workout at Center Nutrilait.
“We are going to present a competitive XI because we need a good game for confidence,” he added.
The reverse is also true. Even if, in theory, the Montrealers should be able to do enough to win Tuesday night, they expect a very strong opposition.
In the Vaughan Azzurri camp, it’s a perfect opportunity for the players to show that they can hold their own against professionals and that they have what it takes to possibly make the jump to the Canadian Soccer Premier League. or the MLS.
Former CF Montrealers Alistair Johnston, who now plays in Scotland, and Kamal Miller, who was traded to Inter Miami CF last week, have already worn the colors of Vaughan Azzurri.
“It’s a great opportunity for their players to show their quality. When I was younger and playing in Ontario, we often played against Vaughan and it was always a team that gave us problems. Many of their players are of Italian nationality, so they have a European playing profile. It will be up to us to show that we are an MLS team and that our level of play is higher,” said midfielder Ilias Iliadis.
Against D.C. United on Saturday, Losada’s men made a costly mistake in the opening seconds of the second half and they were non-threatening thereafter in hopes of ending the game with a point.
Whether it’s due to injuries, lack of confidence, creativity or tactical adjustments, the Montreal squad hasn’t scored in its last 270 minutes. Just moving the ropes against the Vaughan Azzurri would probably be a small victory in itself.
“A lot of times we give other teams chances and it’s not because they’re better than us. I didn’t feel like D.C. was better than us. They arrived here to pick up a point overseas, Losada observed. What puts us in difficulty after seven games is that we constantly change the starting line-up and the injured are difficult to replace. The only way out of this is to work, talk with your feet not your mouth and stick together. »
Barring further injuries, Losada should receive some good news shortly. First, the great defender George Campbell, who has been training with his teammates for a few weeks now, will return to training on Tuesday. Forward Jojea Kwizera should be the next to return, according to the head coach, while midfielder Matko Miljevic will return to Quebec on Friday, after staying in Argentina to recover from a knee injury.
Losada added that midfielder Lassi Lappalainen has been struggling with a tendon inflammation and hopes Romell Quioto’s right leg injury won’t bother the striker for more than four weeks.
