CHARLOTTE | With a win tonight, CF Montreal might climb to the top echelon of the MLS Eastern Conference.
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The Montrealers are third with 17 points. Ahead of them, the New York Red Bulls have 18 and the Philadelphia Union, 19.
By chance, these two teams are facing each other today and if they draw and the Bleu-blanc-noir wins once morest Charlotte FC, the Quebec club will rise to the top of the Association.
“I was not aware of this scenario. It shows that we are going one game at a time and that we are not looking too much at what the other teams are doing, ”said midfielder Samuel Piette.
“I don’t think regarding that at all”
The same goes for head coach Wilfried Nancy, who said he didn’t really pay attention to this kind of detail during his pre-game meeting with the media on Thursday.
“It doesn’t mean anything because if we win all the matches, we are champions too. »
“I don’t think regarding that at all. We have five games left before the break, we will try to bring back the most points and following that it will be another cycle. »
Nancy is a pragmatic man and this is one of his great strengths. He doesn’t lose his temper when things are going well or when things are going badly.
More demanding
The fact remains that his team has not lost for eight games when we take into account the draw once morest Cruz Azul in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
“I live in the moment and I like what’s going on. This profession is fabulous, but we get very excited. »
“We are good where we should be, but we are taking a lot of step back from that and I had even more demands this week because we want to stay on what we do well and try to ignore of all. »
He also stressed that the success of his team allows him to be more demanding with his men since they are receptive.
“When we lose, we try to find the right levers to use. When we win, it’s even easier for me to be precise regarding certain things,” added the head coach.
Sequence to improve
CF Montreal head to North Carolina intent on extending their unbeaten streak to eight games, but Charlotte FC have everything it takes to cause them trouble.
Indeed, following stumbling in its first home game, Charlotte won its next four games at Bank of America Stadium where it allowed just two goals in five games.
“We play once morest a different style of play and on synthetics. It’s also a trip and it’s been a long time since we left, said Nancy.
“They’re a team that’s interesting to watch, there’s thought in the nuances of the game. I’m not surprised they’re doing well. »
big weeks
This meeting marks the start of a segment of the calendar that will test the Montreal workforce. The team will play five matches over the next two weeks.
“It’s a big physical challenge because we’re playing this game, we’ll be back in Montreal in the wee hours of the morning and we’ll be back in training the next day,” said Piette.
“We will then start preparing for the game once morest Nashville and move on Tuesday to play there. We then come back in the wee hours and we play once more on Sunday. It’s a nice big sequence. »
At least during this period only the matches once morest Charlotte FC and Nashville SC will be played abroad.
Defender Joel Waterman will be out due to a suspension for accumulating yellow cards.
The Carolina club distributes the flowers
In North Carolina, CF Montreal is held in very high regard and the club’s recent successes are not believed to be a flash in the pan.
“I’ll be honest with you, I think Montreal is one of the favorite teams to finish first in the East. Olivier [Renard, le directeur sportif] et Wilfried [Nancy, l’entraîneur-chef] do a tremendous job. »
It is the sporting director of Charlotte FC who says so. Zoran Krneta gave his unsolicited opinion.
For the Serbian, everything suggests that Montreal’s success will last over time during the season.
The Work of the Recognized Coach
The flowers also came from the head coach, Miguel Angel Ramirez, who praised the work of his counterpart.
Above all, he highlighted all the preparation of the Montreal driver who, according to him, does a great job to ensure that everything is as controlled as possible in a match.
“I really like what they [les joueurs du CF Montréal] are trying to do. I don’t see anything hazardous in their game, everything is calculated, ”he said during a videoconference.
“I see a lot of the coach’s work behind it and I like that a lot. »
Station in Djordje
Beyond the work done by Nancy, there is also the quality of Djordje Mihailovic’s game that catches the eye.
Ramirez has no intention of giving the Montreal midfielder an inch.
“The most important thing is not to give him space to turn around or to have access to the last line of defense because that is where he is dangerous. »
“We have to be close to him at all times and give him very little space so he doesn’t have the time or the chance to hurt us.”
In addition, Charlotte FC will probably have to play the match without its leader and big brother, Christian Fuchs.
The 36-year-old Austrian is slightly injured and his behavior during yesterday’s morning training prompts Ramirez to be cautious.
“We will continue to monitor his situation, he may need more time. I’m not sure I want to take a chance with this game. »
The adversary in 5 points
With plume
This week will be Charlotte’s second game following visiting the USL’s Richmond Kickers in a US Open Cup match. Charlotte secured a clear 5-1 victory thanks to a goal and three assists from Yordy Reyna.
Hard-hitting start
Andre Shinyashiki was acquired from the Colorado Rapids earlier this month and he hit hard scoring on his first outing last Saturday. He did it once more by moving the ropes once more once morest Richmond on Wednesday.
A fortress
We often speak of fortress in soccer to describe a state of mind when a team plays at home. the North Carolina club represents this mentality well with four wins and only one loss, as well as only two goals once morest at home.
small attack
Charlotte has been doing pretty well since the start of the season and is one point away from a playoff berth, but the offense is modest with just 10 goals in 11 games. In the East, only Miami (9) and Chicago (7) do worse.
Zeros
Since the start of the season. Charlotte allowed more than two goals only once and that was in the first game of the season, a 3-0 loss to DC United.
