(Montreal) CF Montreal aren’t nearly as intimidating away from home as they were last season, but there are signs they’re taking steps in the right direction.
The bar was set very high after the 2022 season, when the Bleu-blanc-noir set an MLS record with 11 wins on opposing courts. A quick tour of the league’s website shows that with only one win in nine games on the road in 2023 (1-7-1), Montrealers can already say goodbye to another record, but one point turning point may have occurred on Wednesday evening.
With D.C. United leading 2-0 with just 10 minutes remaining in the game, CF Montreal looked set to suffer a seventh shutout in nine away games this season. Head coach Hernan Losada had already made several changes in order to create a spark. He finally got it.
The Montreal team sounded the charge with two goals in 71 seconds and recorded an important point in the standings. Above all, it prevented a direct rival in the Eastern Association from distancing itself.
For a few moments, we saw a team dictating the pace and unintimidated by the hostile crowd. For a few moments, CF Montreal seemed to be one with its version of 2022, even if new players and a new head coach were added to it.
“It comes from our culture. We’ve been laying the groundwork for the past few years and whoever gets added, it’s our job to let them know who we are as a team and what we stand for as players,” said defender Joel Waterman. , Thursday, before training his family in Philadelphia. Several players in our dressing room share this mentality and ensure that everyone is on the same page. »
And that’s exactly what fans saw against D.C. United. Not just because of the comeback, but also because of that esprit de corps that was noticeable when Zachary Brault-Guillard was the victim of a tough tackle from Lewis O’Brien in the 84th minute.
At least five Montreal players came to the aid of Brault-Guillard, struggling with the great Christian Benteke, and they did not hesitate to speak their minds to a few opposing players.
It was perhaps the culmination of several months of work on the part of Losada, who immediately wanted to recreate this unit that had marked the last season of the Montrealers.
“It’s important for every team to stick together. I am very happy with the mentality of the whole group. Every club that pulls back from a two-goal deficit with 10 minutes to play must have a positive mentality and character. It will give us confidence to keep pushing, because you never know what can happen,” noted the Argentinian.
It’s a lesson that Losada continues to pass on to its players. Prior to Wednesday night’s tie, CF Montreal had lost all eight games this season when they conceded the first goal.
The team is entering the final stage of a streak of 11 games in 36 days and by force of circumstance, fatigue has taken hold of the Montreal locker room. We saw her at the end of the first half in Washington.
Losada, however, makes a point of using virtually every player at his disposal. It’s obviously a desire to rest some starters, but it’s also so that his men can show what they have in mind.
“I’m tired myself and I don’t even play,” he hinted. After the game, we took a two and a half hour bus ride to Philadelphia. I hardly slept. We have to continue the rotation, because we don’t know if we can give more than that. We extract the maximum from this group and we try to recharge the batteries for two or three days. »
However, midfielder Matko Miljevic has been left out in three of the Bleu-blanc-noir’s last four games. Losada did not entertain the rumors circulating that something had happened internally, indicating instead that Miljevic had missed several weeks of activities due to a knee injury.
“Matko is coming back from surgery. Then there was a two-month rehabilitation in Argentina. He lost all his preparation,” he said.
Meanwhile, striker Sunusi Ibrahim has been one of those who have grabbed his chance for the past few games. His 61st-minute appearance on Wednesday energized the troops and he was involved in both of his own goals. He also left his mark against Forge FC in the semi-finals of the Canadian Championship.
The 20-year-old Nigerian also noted that there is more and more chemistry between the players, especially up front.
“There is an understanding between me, Chinonso Offor and Ariel Lassiter. We try to find tactics in training. When I have the ball, they move to certain places and vice versa. I think there is especially this understanding when we attack with three or four. We create spaces,” observed Ibrahim.
Injured in the abdomen during a violent contact with Benteke, defender Rudy Camacho was already doing better after the match against D.C. United. The Frenchman is unlikely to miss Saturday night’s clash against Union.
