(Montreal) It would be easy to point the finger at Mathieu Choinière, but much like Christopher Nolan’s “Origin,” there’s an even deeper layer to the defeat suffered by CF Montreal on Wednesday night at the Saputo stadium.
Choinière may have suffered a brain cramp, but the cruel lack of finishing cost the Bleu-blanc-noir dearly, who were shut out 1-0 by DC United in their last game of the group stage of the Coupe des Ligues .
The Quebecer thought he was doing well when he decided to head the ball to his goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois in the 70th minute, but former CF Montrealer Erik Hurtado intervened to score the only goal of the game.
The Montreal squad, which had already missed a few chances at the start of the second half, still had plenty of time to tie the game. However, she showed that she was not able to buy a purpose for her survival, while she had her destiny in her hands.
This offensive problem, already recurring in the season, placed Hernan Losada’s men in a precarious position in Group 2 of the Eastern section. Now in second place, they will have to wait for the result of Saturday’s duel between DC United and Pumas UNAM to find out if they continue.
“We should score and we should win,” Losada said right off the bat. “We created enough chances to win this game. We dominated them in the second half. I don’t think our team could have done more except put the ball in the back of the net.
“I’m very proud of our effort to create so many chances. It’s painful, but we know that’s what we’ll be going through for the rest of the season. The difference is that I believe that at the moment we are playing much better than at the start of the season. »
At the time, it was especially painful for Choinière, who represented CF Montreal in the MLS All-Star Game last week.
After the clash, none of his teammates threw the stone at him, and with good reason. The 24-year-old midfielder has been a real metronome for his team since the start of the campaign. So much so that when he recently missed four games with an ankle injury, his teammates didn’t score a goal and they didn’t savor victory.
“Mathieu is not bothered by such an error. He knows he’s probably been our best player this year,” defender Aaron Herrera said. He is mentally strong and he knows what he has achieved for us this season. »
“It’s part of the sport and you shouldn’t blame yourself too much. Mathieu had a very good game and it is not this action that defines his evening, added midfielder Samuel Piette. When you lose 1-0, you think it’s your fault, but it would be very harsh to say that the match was lost because of him. »
In the category of moral victories, failing to have put it in the right column, CF Montreal can say that the chemistry is starting to operate more and more between Bryce Duke and Kwadwo Opoku.
The two young players have known each other for a few years, having played for Los Angeles FC, and they created several scoring chances against DC United. Many of these were created through quick passing and Choinière also got involved to form a menacing trio in attack.
“We’re comfortable playing together on the court,” Duke noted of Opoku. I think there will be a lot of one-two combinations in the future and hopefully it will turn into goals and assists for both of us. We had our chances and that is perhaps the positive point to take away from this game. All that’s missing is that little finish to put the ball in the net. When it’s going to click, the sky’s the limit. »
The visitors were more insistent early in the game and they managed to buzz a few times during the first 20 minutes.
Forgotten on the right side of the penalty area, Ruan first unleashed a powerful strike which was repelled with the right hand by Sirois.
After DC United missed a golden chance in front of the net following a corner kick, Sirois closed the door on a Christian Benteke one-timer by diving to his right.
CF Montreal began to make adjustments and they felt the fatigue of their opponents. Before the end of the first half, Opoku accepted a fine pass from Gabriele Corbo following a long run from the Italian, but his shot missed the target.
The Montrealers knocked on the door early in the second half, but the finish was lacking.
Positioned in front of the net, Chinonso Offor saw the ball pass between his legs. Corbo then tried his luck from distance, but goalkeeper Alex Bono caught his shot safely. The DC United keeper saved his best save yet by sticking out his right leg in front of a left-footed shot from Zachary Brault-Guillard.
The sky fell on the head of the Bleu-blanc-noir a few moments later, when Choinière gave Hurtado a gift. The latter got rid of Sirois to score in an abandoned net.
Choinière tried hard to recover when he delivered a superb cross to Duke, left alone in the penalty area, but his deflection of the header ended its momentum in the hands of Bono.
The Quebecer was also robbed by defender Derrick Williams when his low shot escaped Bono’s attention.
