“It’s arranged with the views guy. »

Here is what Samuel Piette would have said if he had been told at the start of the year that the CF Montreal season would be played in Columbus, against Wilfried Nancy’s Crew, in the last match of the calendar.

“It’s Columbus, against our former coach, our former staff,” added Piette with a smile, Tuesday noon at the Nutrilait Center. “It’s a bit of a scenario, it seems. »

We have the impression that it was written in the sky, indeed. When the 2023 MLS schedule was revealed, CFM’s two games against the Crew and Nancy were among the first circled in Sharpie. After 33 meetings, here are now two teams for whom the result of their ultimate confrontation is very important.

The Crew, in 4th place, can still finish 3rd or 5th in the Eastern Conference, with the top 4 hosting more home games in the playoffs.

But for CF Montreal, the issue of the Crew is anecdotal. Because quite simply, the Bleu-blanc-noir is playing for its survival in Ohio this weekend. A victory in Columbus, and its place for the qualifying match for the playoffs is confirmed. With a draw, his chances are greatly improved. A defeat would make him hope for help from outside.

Depending on other results, Montreal can finish 8th or 13th, far from the 9th and last place giving access to the qualifying match.

But Hernán Losada’s men have their destiny in their hands. And they intend to take advantage of it, despite a Crew dominating at home, with only 1 loss in 16 games at Lower.com Field.

“It’s a great challenge,” assures Piette. It will provide additional motivation, to prove that no matter who we have on the team, [which coach] guides us, in the end, we simply want to win this match and take this club to the playoffs. »

Nathan Saliba said he was “extremely motivated” at the idea of ​​playing this crucial meeting. “We know that it’s really the final,” he emphasizes, adding that the team is “100% focused on achieving a result in this match.”

This is not a given. Like Harvey Dent in Batman, CF Montreal showed two very different faces at home and away in 2023. At the Saputo stadium, it played with aggressiveness, accuracy and success. Abroad, especially in recent times, he has shown some very bad days.

What face will we see in Ohio on Saturday? Dent’s well-dressed face, or Two-Face’s disfigured face in front of his nemesis?

“The guys are serious,” says Piette. This is not a match like any other. […] We know there is pressure, it’s the big match of the year because it’s the last. But everyone is confident, everyone is happy. We know it’s going to be a difficult match, but I think we have the weapons to do something there. »

Saliba has some ideas for his team to improve their fortunes abroad, having only recorded 2 victories out of 16 matches on opposing sides.

Piette, whose leadership role becomes even more important in this type of meeting, suggests to his peers to “control the intensity” to apply.

Abroad, he says, “we have to wait when the ball comes out, take our time.” The guys need to be “mentally prepared” for this “different approach from the last match” at home, against Portland, a match they won 4-1.

As he did in Montreal during the previous two seasons, Nancy displayed an explosive and spectacular style of play in Columbus. The Crew is the team that has scored the most goals in MLS, with 65.

This open and attacking game forces defenders to take risks by building the play with often short passes from the back. And when we take risks, with volume, we concede goals. Columbus is in the middle of the pack in goals allowed, with 45.

It is on this, by forcing turnovers on the Crew, that CF Montreal will have to bank on to be successful. This is particularly what allowed him to play a good second half against the Crew last September at the Saputo stadium (4-2 defeat).

“We will have to play with that,” believes Piette, who knew this playing philosophy well under Nancy in Montreal. […] It’s a way of playing that can be very positive for them, but which can also be very dangerous. We will have to be very good at this. »

And if not, what will it be like to face Nancy – and the coaching staff he brought with him from Montreal to Columbus – on Saturday?

“The whole technical team, it will be good to see them,” says Saliba. But hey, there are no friends on the ground. So we will have to forget about that very quickly and concentrate on the match. »