It’s sporting nature not to make excuses for a loss. Especially when it comes to arbitration. But you can’t always ignore the facts without saying anything.
CF Montreal was doing well until a goal was disallowed in the 49the minute in the game once morest the Philadelphia Union yesterday followingnoon at the Olympic Stadium.
What was the reason?
The video replay official ruled that the goal scorer, Djordje Mihailovic, had fouled a Philadelphia Union player before scoring.
For those who haven’t seen the game on television, the visitors’ player dropped following a slight contact with Mihailovic in the center of the field.
A dab of nothing at all.
The kind of scene that gives soccer a bad reputation.
Mihailovic then sped towards the net at the speed of a gazelle to beat Andre Blake with a powerful shot.
A very nice game on his part.
If referee Drew Ferguson, a Canadian, allowed the game to continue, it is likely that he did not believe that Mihailovic had foul once morest an opponent.
End of broadcasts
This episode shook Wilfried Nancy’s troupe. Suddenly, she lost her rhythm and her enthusiasm.
Nothing was working anymore.
At the 53e minute, Alejandro Bedoya tied the game.
Stunned by this goal, the Montreal team saw Daniel Gazdag get the lead for his team.
She didn’t recover.
They suffered a second loss in as many games in MLS this season.
both good and bad
It’s true that a few players, including Samuel Piette, were missing on the CF Montreal side.
But the team still played very well. She had a good chance of winning. She would have taken a 2-0 lead if that disallowed episode hadn’t happened
“We love the use of video replays as much as we hate them,” Kei Kamara said following the game.
“The referee had however let the game take its course. »
Where are the fans?
It’s a shame for the approximately 13,000 spectators who came to the stadium.
This is the same number that was recorded during the meeting once morest Santos Laguna two weeks ago.
However, the match was presented on Saturday this time and not in the middle of the week.
I don’t think we can attribute this small crowd to the fact that it was school break and that young people might be outside with their parents.
It takes change
At the risk of repeating itself, things are not going well for CF Montreal.
It takes a serious hit at all levels.
Even Saputo Stadium is a poor parent to other MLS amphitheaters.
Jeremy Filosa, of 98.5, told us this week that it would cost between 75 and 100 million to bring the CF home up to date.
But we have to find a solution.
We cannot afford to lose a second team in Montreal and a third in Quebec.
Jagr’s Solidarity
Jaromir Jagr was not born when Soviet armor invaded Prague in 1968. He was born four years later.
But like any Czech child who was born during this Cold War era, his family told him in detail regarding the Soviet Union’s invasion of Czechoslovakia and its subsequent domination of their country.
The Czechs did not hold the Soviets in the odor of sanctity. They absolutely hated them.
war on ice
A few years ago, Ken Dryden told me what he had seen during a match between Czechoslovakia and the USSR at the 1969 World Hockey Championship in Grenoble.
It was the hardest encounter he had ever seen in his life. The former goaltender participated in the tournament as a member of the Canadian team.
68 for life
Jagr has been wearing number 68 since the start of his career.
Some would say that the events of 1968 did not prevent him from playing in the KHL.
But peace then reigned between Russia and her former republics.
It was following Jagr’s three years in the KHL that Vladimir Putin started to freak out.
Today, it is Ukraine that suffers his acts of insanity. Its inhabitants leave the country by the thousands to find refuge where they can.
The Czech Republic is one of the countries that serves as a host country.
Wear his heart on his sleeve
When I heard that Jagr was hosting a benefit hockey game for them, I recognized the guy I knew from his great years with the Penguins and his return to the National League.
With his team’s home only seating 5,200, Jagr has turned to an 18,000-seat amphitheater to host the game between Kladno Knights, which he owns, and HC Sparta.
The NHL and other professional circuits around the world might do the same.