CF Montreal expects a different atmosphere in the stands for its duel against D.C. United on Wednesday night, but an equally high intensity on the field.
The Bleu-blanc-noir will play its last match of the Coupe des Ligues group stage by hosting the Washington team at Stade Saputo, and it is lucky to have its destiny in its hands.
After beating Mexican club Pumas UNAM in a shootout to open the tournament on Saturday, the Montrealers are in first place in Group 2 of the East section. They can secure their place in the playoffs by earning a win over D.C. United, either on regular or on penalties.
This goal alone should be enough to motivate CF Montreal and get them to raise their energy levels, if they can’t feed off the spectacular sound confrontation that the local and Mexican supporters delivered in the stands this weekend.
“The atmosphere was special, but I don’t think it will be the same against D.C. United, especially because it’s an MLS team. It will be up to us to bring that intensity back and bring that kind of emotion back to our fans. Even if the atmosphere is not the same, you must not go out flat. We have to focus on our game,” midfielder Samuel Piette said on Tuesday before training at Center Nutrilait.
CF Montreal had a great run in the Canadian Championship, but they were unable to earn their ticket to the next Concacaf Champions League by losing in the final to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
With three more passes available for the Coupe des Ligues, the Montrealers have the opportunity to go one step further with a positive result against D.C. United. This situation, however, does not seem to have changed the preparation of head coach Hernan Losada.
“Whether we won or lost against the Pumas, we’re going to try to be competitive against D.C. United, like we always do. We prepare for all matches the same way and I think we will see the same intensity on the pitch. I hope we can play as good a game as Saturday. We need a win to move on to the next phase, and that’s the main goal,” he explained.
The good news for Losada players is that they know their next opponents well. If video analysis was necessary to fully understand the play of the Pumas, a team in the Liga MX, the two games against D.C. United this season will offer a good portrait of what Montrealers will have to expect on Wednesday.
Trailing 2-0 in the second half in Washington on May 31, CF Montreal scored two quick goals to snatch a winning tie. This may have been a small revenge for the embarrassing 1-0 loss suffered in the opening game at Saputo Stadium on April 15, when Wayne Rooney’s troops scored the winning goal in the first minute of the second half.
Still, Losada doesn’t seem to place much importance on those two previous matchups. He knows, however, that D.C. United is not a team to be underestimated, even though they haven’t played in 10 days and it may take time for them to find their groove.
“We know the individual qualities and experience of their players. This is something to consider and something we will have to be careful about, said the head coach. The loss at Stade Saputo came a long time ago. Both teams have evolved since, players have been added and others who were not available at the time will be (Wednesday). »
The objective for CF Montreal will obviously be to score the first goal, but also not to get caught defensively as was the case at the end of the second half against the Pumas. The Mexicans erased a two-goal deficit in the space of three minutes to force a penalty shootout.
“That balance between offensive aggression and defensive play is very important. We don’t want to be a stretching team as the game progresses and fatigue starts to set in. We want to stay compact and one of the best ways to do that is to keep the ball in the enemy zone and get our opponents running,” observed Piette.
“At the end of the second half against the Pumas, we came back with our goalkeeper and we tried for long balls. That’s what they wanted. We will try to do better on Wednesday,” added the Quebecer.
Midfielder Victor Wanyama limped out of the stadium on Saturday, but Losada said all of his available players appeared to be in good shape for Tuesday’s training.
