You read in these pages, last September 20, that CF Montreal offered a “rigorous, solid” performance against FC Cincinnati. That the defense had shone against the best team in the league.
Oh how great the contrast is with what he has demonstrated since. His two matches abroad, in Atlanta and Orlando, were catastrophic. Both in terms of results and for the esprit de corps that seemed to reign within the club not so long ago.
Everything seemed disjointed, to the north as well as to the south of the field. The attack is running out of steam: we are barely able to reach the final third. The defense is failing: seven goals allowed in two games, against only one scored.
If the Impact wants to save its end of the season, it must find solutions, and quickly. The three short days that separate the defeat in Orlando from the next match against the Houston Dynamo, at Saputo Stadium on Wednesday, are crucial, both for preparation and for recharging energy.
Hernán Losada insists that home matches are the ones that matter. That despite one’s club’s best efforts, it is a strong “trend” in MLS to be significantly superior at home than away.
And the figures, which the head coach liked to bring into the conversation on Saturday evening, prove him right. Montreal has two away wins this year. New England (3rd in the East), Columbus (5th) and Atlanta (6th) have… three. In the West, the next two opponents of the CFM also have only two, and are doing well in the rankings despite everything.
So, if Montreal indeed puts all its eggs in the basket of its home games, the coming week will prove everything.
Starting with Houston on Wednesday. Dynamo has just won the US Open Cup against Inter Miami, and is ranked 5th in the West. The sources of his offensive contribution are varied, with Amine Bassi (9 goals) in the lead. And goalkeeper Steve Clark leads MLS in shutouts with 12.
But Montreal just isn’t the same team at home. If his last three results at the Saputo stadium have been disappointing for different reasons, he still has time to turn things around. Above all, he no longer has a choice.
A few days after Houston, another big name comes to Montreal. And as only 5 points separate 2nd from 9th place in the West, both Houston and Portland (7th) will want to obtain a good result in the Quebec metropolis.
The Timbers have the wind in their sails. They are undefeated since August 31, five wins in seven games. This streak coincides with the firing of legendary Portland head coach Gio Savarese. Since August 21, deputy Miles Joseph has taken the reins of the team.
Joseph seems to have found a winning formula: his Brazilian midfielder Evander has taken off offensively since August, with four goals in six games. He has nine on the MLS season, in addition to his four assists.
This will be the very last home game this season for Montreal, its penultimate on the schedule. Will the applause at the end of the game at Saputo stadium be encouragement for the playoffs, or will it rather take the form of a goodbye, and see you next year?
After this home stretch, it will be the FIFA international break from October 9-17. Three scenarios are possible for the CFM at this time:
The other variable is knowing who will be recalled to the club. Canada will face Japan on October 13 in a friendly match that promises to be extremely interesting. This will notably be the debut of Mauro Biello as interim head coach of the selection. Mathieu Choinière, Jonathan Sirois, Zachary Brault-Guillard, Nathan Saliba and Joel Waterman could be called up. If this is the case, as much as it may do them good to change their environment, the potential period of rest that this truce offers will be cut into.
As luck would have it, the fate of Montreal could very well be decided during its last match of the season… against Wilfried Nancy and the Columbus Crew.
And we have bad news for CFM supporters: the former Montreal technician’s team is almost intractable at home, with 11 victories, 1 defeat and 4 draws. In addition, Nancy continued her good habits of offering enticing, spectacular soccer.
A quick trip through the MLS statistics, and the findings are striking. Which leads to the attempted passes chapter? The Crew. Who leads in the offensive zone completions column? The Crew. Who made the most assists? The Crew, with 66. Who is the co-leader, with St. Louis, in goals scored? You guessed it: the Crew.
What we’re getting at is that the Crew attacks a lot, they attack well, and they score a lot of goals. So much offense creates a lot of space behind, but Columbus’ defense isn’t abysmal either. The Ohio team is in the middle of the pack for most defensive statistics.
It’s quite simple, then. CF Montreal is playing its season at home this week. Because if he has an imperative to win on October 21 in Columbus, we might as well say that the carrots are cooked.
