(Montreal) After suffering one of the worst defeats in their history, CF Montreal would probably have liked to face another opponent to try to find the way to victory.
These are two teams on opposite paths since the start of the season who will cross swords on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium. Dead last in the Eastern Conference standings, the Bleu-blanc-noir will face the New England Revolution (4-1-1), which is third in the East.
CF Montreal (1-4-0) is not out of the woods following an embarrassing 5-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps last Saturday. He is still unscored in four away games this season and he is moving into hostile territory, where his next opponents are confident.
Indeed, the Revolution are 2-0-1 in three games in front of their fans this season. He scored five goals and only allowed one.
Winners of the Supporters’ Shield in 2021 with an MLS-record 73 points, the “Revs” had a tough season in 2022 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
However, Montreal head coach Hernan Losada is not surprised to see them return to their good habits in 2023.
“Almost all of their players have been together for two, three, four years. There are also young players who are starting to get a lot of minutes and who have interesting profiles. The head coach (Bruce Arena) is exceptional, he has experience and he has won several titles. I have a lot of respect for him. They are a very solid team and one to respect,” he observed.
And CF Montreal has known two of these players well since 2019, forward Gustavo Bou and midfielder Carles Gil. Bou, in particular, has often had the role of executioner as evidenced by his record of six goals and three assists in eight career games against the Bleu-blanc-noir.
If the Revolution has regained its form of the good days, the Montrealers would also like to relive the same successes abroad as in 2022. They have already suffered four losses on opposing courts this season, the same total as last year. , when they set an MLS record for most away wins (11).
The CF Montreal players continue to cling to the fact that they had an equally difficult start to the campaign in 2022 before enjoying a record season for the team and finishing second in the East.
“We are always optimistic. Last year we had a bad start, but then we had the best season in the history of the team. We’re confident we can do something similar again,” defender Joel Waterman said. There is a lot of talent in the team. I trust my teammates and the coaching staff. »
“Comparisons with last year are inevitable. The important thing is to keep calm and keep working. The season is very long and when we have good results, we can find a little more normal rhythm like we did last season,” added striker Romell Quioto.
The first step for Losada and his men will be to have learned lessons from their bitter setback against the Whitecaps, especially on the defensive side. Moreover, the head coach does not see the duel against the Revolution as a test of character and a way for his players to prove that they are capable of forgetting this poor performance.
“I saw a character test against the Union and we had good games against Nashville and Austin. I know we are a team with character because I see him every week in training. Every game you need to have character and have the right mentality, not just because it’s a tough away game coming,” Losada insisted.
CF Montreal will be without its captain, Samuel Piette, who is injured for six to eight weeks and adds to the long list of players in the infirmary. Midfielder Lassi Lappalainen (left leg) is also expected to miss, as is defender Rudy Camacho, who will serve a one-game suspension for receiving a red card in Vancouver.