MONTREAL – As if he had been in his usual position in the defensive rampart of CF Montreal, Rudy Camacho had eyes all over his head on Sunday followingnoon.
Stayed at home to treat a slight injury and therefore confined to his television, the veteran defender did not want to miss anything from the last day of the season in MLS. Of course, he carefully followed the performance of his team, victorious on the field of Inter Miami. The performance, which resulted in a 3-1 win, left him “proud of the homies, proud of this season. But other distractions demanded his attention.
In a remote corner of his brain, Camacho had reserved space for the eventuality that Toronto FC managed to cause an upset in Philadelphia and thus take the first place in the East. But “even if we had a small chance, I never really believed in it, he admits. And then [l’Union] scored quickly, so I gave up. »
When it became clear that the identity of CFM’s next opponent in the qualifiers would be decided in the match between Orlando City SC and the Columbus Crew, it was on this duel that the Frenchman devoted himself. And he was not disappointed with what he saw. Thanks to a 2-1 victory won on a penalty kick at the very end of the game, Orlando punched the last ticket for the Garber circuit’s end-of-season tournament and set the table for an interesting reunion a week later at Saputo Stadium.
Camacho has not forgotten this game, the very last of the 2021 season. The stakes were clear: with a victory, Montreal confirmed its place in the playoffs. With one defeat, his dog was dead.
Orlando had opened the scoring at the 55e minute. Montreal believed they had tied the game five minutes later, but a contested offside was called to nullify Romell Quioto’s effort. For Camacho, this decision had “switched the match a little emotionally”. He himself then received a red card in the 79e minute.
The opportunity will therefore be perfect for Wilfried Nancy’s men to give the OCSC back their own coin when the two clubs find themselves under the spotlight at Stade Saputo next weekend. The eleven holders of the missed meeting last year are still with the team. Six of them should be in the starting lineup for the second act.
“No, there is no revenge, however, claims Camacho. It’s just a game that stays in the lead. It was a bit of a disaster scenario last year. There we will be at home, in a position of strength. We will try to impose our game as we have done since the beginning of the year. »
The balance of power between the Lions and the Impact has completely changed over the past twelve months. After a difficult start to the season, the Bleu et Noir have established themselves as one of the teams to beat in MLS while their next prey has barely entered the playoffs. Montreal finished the season 17 points ahead of Orlando in the standings and will approach their next test with confidence commensurate with that gap.
“It doesn’t really matter who we face,” said Lassi Lappalainen on Tuesday. I think it will be good not to see Miami once more because it’s always difficult to play the same team twice in a row, so Orlando will do. Their team is not bad, but I think that in each of our matches, we must be considered as the favorites. »
As for the animosity that might remain between the two rivals, it is a theory for which the Finn has no energy to spend.
“It’s been a long time, all that. It’s obvious that it affected us to be blocked from entering the playoffs, but there’s nothing left of it. We will take the field, we will fight and we will win, that’s for sure. What happened last year doesn’t matter anymore. »
No possibility of redemption
CF Montreal faced Orlando twice in the regular season.
The first confrontation took place at the opening of the calendar, four days following the Montrealers qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League. With a patched formation counting on Matko Miljevic, Zorhan Bassong, Gabriele Corbo and a young Ismaël Koné among its holders, the CFM lost by the score of 2-0.
In May, at Saputo, the outcome of the duel was more representative of the place that the two teams would eventually take in the league hierarchy: Montreal 4, Orlando 1.
To maximize their chances of replicating the most recent result, the Montrealers will, Rudy Camacho believes, have to keep the same mindset that allowed them to reach their current status and avoid putting too much on their shoulders.
“It has to be the same. That we benefit from training, that we work in the same way and above all that we are cold in our heads. It’s a game of playoffs, but it’s still a game. We have to approach it as we took it during the regular season because we took each game as a game of playoffs. It will be exactly the same, with a stake at the end. A little extra pressure, but good pressure. »
Recall that since 2019, MLS has removed the home and away series from its post-season tournament. The obstacle course leading to the MLS Cup is now made up of four single-elimination matches. A favorite with a bad evening in the legs therefore risks eviction without the possibility of redemption.
“I’m from Europe, so I’m not a playoff fan,” Camacho said with a smirk. And even less playoff games like that. At the limit, two return games, it is often the best team that passes. In a single match, we can get through and the whole season flies away. I’m not a fan, but that’s how it is, that’s MLS. We will do with it and try to win all our matches. »
The CFM in confidence before the playoffs