MONTREAL – “Failure is simply an opportunity to start again, this time more intelligently. » This old quote attributed to Henry Ford should be pinned in the CF Montreal veterans’ locker as we approach the two critical matches that await the team this week.
As the finish line of the marathon that is an MLS season appears in the distance, the Montreal team finds itself in a situation similar to the one it faced at this time last year. With three matches to play, she has the luxury of being able to decide her fate without regard to the results obtained by her competitors.
In 2023, the Impact lost the steering wheel in the home stretch. By letting Houston take two points from him at Stade Saputo and coming up short two weeks later in Columbus, he had left himself vulnerable to a flash of genius or a stroke of luck from his rivals. His fall was finally confirmed to him in a cruel way, broadcast on the screen of a tablet.
Much has changed since then. The team is led by a different man and, consequently, the ideas and principles that motivate its daily actions are no longer the same. On the field, new faces are at the heart of the awakening which has been taking place for four matches and through which the last meetings on the calendar have become relevant.
But several players are still there to testify to the efforts made in vain a year ago. Precisely, eight of the eleven players who started in the last two games of last season still have a place in the Montreal locker room. Most will still play a leading role in the quest for qualification which will continue this week with trips to Atlanta and Charlotte.
“We learn and we move forward”: this, in its concise version, is one of the clichés most often peddled by professional athletes whose efforts have not been rewarded. The coming weeks will offer a great opportunity for CF Montreal players to rewrite their history, this time without breaking the lead of their pencil.
“I think the situations are still a little different in the sense that last year, we perhaps had a mentality of trying not to lose,” compares goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois. In the situation we are in at the moment, we know that we have to get results, we have to get the three points. We have to go and score goals. I think that’s the mentality we can have in the matches to come. »
The most interesting thing about Sirois’ words is that they were spoken about ten days ago, on the eve of the match against Chicago. Since then, he and his teammates have delivered two almost impeccable performances in which they clearly demonstrated this more conquering mentality.
“I think last year, we were maybe a little too focused on looking far ahead of us, thinking about the playoffs, worrying about our chances of participating,” suggested Joel Waterman Tuesday morning. This year, we just want to tackle the games one at a time. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s the truth. For the moment, we are only thinking about Atlanta, then we will put our energies on Charlotte. It won’t be easy matches, but everyone is confident. There are a lot of positives around the team at the moment. »
In speed
If there is a major difference between the team that fell short of its goal last year and the one that is currently trying to rise above the fray, it is there.
In 2023, Hernán Losada’s troupe arrived in this critical phase of the calendar in bad shape, limping. In September, she had collected only two points out of a possible 15, suffering losses of 4-1 in Atlanta and 3-0 in Orlando. The pessimism was justifiable.
This year, it’s quite the opposite. Laurent Courtois’ group finally seems to have found answers to its questions at the right time. He hasn’t lost in four games, a stretch during which he has conceded just three goals and scored nine.
“In any profession, the momentum can make a huge difference. This is especially true in sports, notes Waterman. We have the wind at our backs at the moment after a series of good performances. We enjoy playing our style of football, we are on the same wavelength and we execute simple plays cleanly. »
If there was an asterisk to add, it would serve to clarify that CF Montreal’s recent successes have mainly come at home against struggling opponents. The next two matches, of capital importance, will take place in less favorable conditions. Remember that Montreal has not won on the road since March 10.
“I remember sequences in Seattle, Nashville or Columbus where we did very good things,” encourages Courtois. Afterwards there were complicated matches in the sense that we conceded a little too quickly and we collapsed a little mentally, in quotes. But the ability to produce play outside, we showed it. It’s just about showing our composure so as not to expose ourselves and not force things. »
“We know we have the team to succeed,” proclaims defender Fernando Álvarez. We’re really excited going into these two games. »
