CF Montreal has a golden opportunity to forget its difficult start to the season in MLS by hosting Cruz Azul at the Olympic Stadium this Wednesday evening.
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In the first match of this CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final, the Mexicans won 1-0 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City last week.
If we have to rely on the previous round, we can say that the Quebec team is in good shape. She also came back from Mexico down 1-0 and defeated Santos Laguna 3-0 at Olympic Stadium in the round of 16.
“It’s another name and another shirt, but the scenario is the same, we lost 1-0 in the first match,” agreed midfielder Djordje Mihailovic.
In the initial clash, Cruz Azul led 19-1 in shots attempted, but only managed two.
“The first game was difficult, but I don’t pay too much attention to statistics,” said midfielder Victor Wanyama.
Wilfried Nancy had also seemed irritated after the meeting when it was a question of the lack of success of the Mexican team, which he maintained on Tuesday.
The head coach also hopes that the frustration of the first game will have played a little in the heads of his opponents.
“I hope that doubt has been sown in their minds. If they didn’t score the goals, it’s because we may have embarrassed them at times even if they lacked precision at times. »
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The history of the Montreal eleven is linked to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and more particularly to the second leg.
In 2009, the club had approached a participation in the semi-finals before collapsing at the end of the game against Santos Laguna. In 2015, she was on the verge of elimination when a late goal from Cameron Porter propelled her to the semi-finals.
“It’s a quarter-final of the Champions League, we know the story, recognized Nancy. We have the opportunity to continue in this competition which is fabulous. »
“We have the opportunity to continue to write the history of the club and we will go there to win this match and that we have great emotions at the stadium. »
More goals
The attack is mortgaged with the injuries to Mason Toye and Sunusi Ibrahim, while Bjørn Johnsen continues to activate to return to the game.
Thus, CF Montreal has scored only five goals in six games this season. The good news is that all of those nets were scored at Olympic Stadium.
According to Mihailovic, the frenetic pace of the calendar at the start of the campaign is no stranger to the difficulties experienced in attack.
“We have a lot of games in a short period of time and it’s hard to stay fit and fresh when you play every three days,” he said.
A suitable surface
That said, the American midfielder was comfortable on the old synthetic turf of the Olympic Stadium.
He scored a goal there against Santos Laguna and another against the Philadelphia Union which was however canceled due to a foul.
“It’s a very fast pitch, the surface is 20 or 30 years old, it’s rather flat. When you can concentrate on the first touch, it’s a good thing. »
“On this type of ground, it’s difficult to make things go well for a team, it’s a bit of a fluke. It’s a good thing that we’re a little more used to it than they are. »
Seeking emotions through a good crowd
CF Montreal will play in front of their fans for the first time this season since restrictions were lifted on crowds for sporting events.
In its previous two local outings, the team had to meet a 50% ratio of normally available seats, which meant only the lower bowl of the Olympic Stadium was open and crowds of around 13,000 spectators
From what we know, sales are going well and the team will be entitled to its best crowd of this young season this Wednesday evening.
It appears that there are still places available, but that the lower bowl will be much fuller than during the two previous meetings.
Transport the team
Wilfried Nancy does not hide it, the presence of a greater number of spectators can have an impact on the match, especially in an enclosure like the Olympic Stadium, which begins to come to life when it is more and more full.
“It transcends the players, insisted the head coach. We know it’s a little more difficult when it’s at the Olympic Stadium, it’s winter, it’s weekdays. »
According to him, a noisy crowd can carry a team through the most crucial moments of a game.
“We play to have a connection with the public and when they are behind us, it’s extraordinary. A player who is going back on an action, if the public is behind us, he will accelerate. The public will multiply the forces. »
calm the young
Such an emotional discharge can however be difficult to manage for some players, especially the youngest, who are not all used to meetings of such importance.
Victor Wanyama is used to big meetings and he intends to do what is necessary to calm his young teammates to prevent them from being swept away by an emotional tsunami.
“It’s a great opportunity for them to get that international experience and put themselves to the test. I believe they are ready for this task. We must take advantage of our chances as soon as possible in order to go ahead of the shots, ”said the defensive midfielder.
And even if the team has a difficult start to the season, Nancy insisted on the importance of quickly moving on.
“The fact that we go on every three days, we automatically think of the next match. Even if we had won, it would be the same thing. We have no choice but to think about the next game. »
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