Even for a regular tourist, the idea of making a quick Canada-Japan return trip in a week is difficult to imagine. Long flights, lag, and fatigue probably aren’t worth even the best bowl of ramen in the world. So imagine playing high-level professional soccer matches through all that.
It is in this context that Samuel Piette and Mathieu Choinière must organize their preparation for the most important match of the CF Montreal season, next Saturday.
The two Quebecers returned Sunday from their Japanese trip with the Canadian team. They played a friendly match north of Tokyo against the Blue Samurai, the team of the hour in international soccer, on Friday. Then, on Tuesday, with the 13 hour time difference still in the body, they were back at CFM training.
With poor sleep, in Piette’s case. Tuesday noon, after his team’s training, he explained that he woke up at 4:30 a.m. Monday, then 3:30 a.m. the next day. But the captain believes that he and Choinière have “still time” to recover from it by Saturday.
“Normally, we say that we make up an hour of difference per day. For us, it’s 1 p.m. I hope it won’t be 13 days, because the game is still coming! »
“I played 1 hour [against Japan], Mathieu played 30 minutes. It’s not the fatigue of the match itself, it’s much more the travel, etc. We will do everything to be in good shape. There is also the adrenaline that will kick in, the emotions. »
It will be something of a big game Saturday night in Columbus. Montreal will face Wilfried Nancy’s Crew in the final match of the MLS season, and it will play its playoff appearance there.
The last CFM match gave it some momentum at the end of the calendar. The 4-1 victory against Portland at Saputo Stadium was its first in eight games. Then, the international break came to put a damper on this renewed energy.
Even a guy like Nathan Saliba, who stayed in Montreal with the team, thinks it’s “a pretty weird thing.”
“You get into a rhythm, especially after a match that you win 4-1,” underlines the young Quebec midfielder. And there, it breaks the rhythm a little. This is where it is important to continue training hard to maintain this momentum, and to arrive at the match fresh. »
“It’s certainly special,” adds Piette, who is still delighted to have this highly important match to play, comparing the CFM situation to a Toronto FC that has already been eliminated and has nothing left to play. play Saturday.
“We have this chance,” said the captain, “but it’s up to us to remain diligent at the physical and technical level. »
Piette says it openly: it was “far from ideal conditions” for Canadian players visiting Japan. But despite the context and the result, he retains a lot of positives from the experience.
“It was my first time in Japan. There is a different culture, people are super respectful. At least we had the chance to be together for the first time in a while. »
It was the first Canadian gathering since the Gold Cup last July. And the very first in which Mauro Biello was able to participate as interim head coach.
What did Piette think of Biello’s work in Japan, he who found himself auditioning for the permanent position of Canadian coach?
“The camp was very short,” he emphasizes at the outset, explaining that they only had about one and a half training sessions before the match.
“I think Mauro approached that match well. I think the tactic was good. »
Canada gave up a goal 90 seconds in after a defensive mix-up, missed a penalty, scored in its own goal, and made a defensive mistake: it was 3-0 after the first half. The match ended 4-1.
“Honestly, [the result], it’s not because of the tactics. »
“I have the impression that the Japanese scored the goals that we gave them, and did not score the goals that they created for themselves. »
Piette finds it “a shame” that Biello didn’t have the 10 days of preparation that usually comes with an international break.
“But his approach has been very good, very positive. It’s always a pleasure. […] For me, it was a first return since the World Cup, so it felt good to be there.
Have a good rest, he is told, when Samuel Piette leaves his meeting with the media, his crampons hitting the cement as he leaves the Nutrilait Center grounds.
“You’ll tell that to my guy! “, he retorts.
