If this is CF Montreal under Laurent Courtois, the summer is going to be hot at the Saputo stadium… and not just because of the temperature.
Updated yesterday at 11:37 p.m.
The Bleu-blanc-noir won 2-1 over FC Cincinnati after a spectacular performance on Saturday evening in front of a packed house at Saputo stadium. And it wasn’t the mercury just above 0 Celsius that warmed up the crowd.
No, it was rather the prowess of Josef Martínez, Ariel Lassiter – both scorers – and the rest of the Montreal eleven, in favor of an efficient and rapid passing game, which took care of it.
“The truth is that I am so proud of the content,” declared Laurent Courtois after the meeting. The head coach arrived in the press room accompanied by his son, who had just arrived from France.
“That’s really what I want,” he continues. How guys come out is how we want to be recognized. »
This evening, have we seen the true identity of the CFM under Laurent Courtois? we ask him.
“I hope so, yeah. »
PHOTO ERIC BOLTE, USA TODAY SPORTS
It was CF Montreal’s return to Montreal and the fans were there on Saturday evening.
The 19,619 in the stands helped in this regard, according to Mathieu Choinière.
“Just hearing the crowd behind us gave us a boost of energy,” said the Quebec community. We saw it when the match started, we had our foot on the accelerator, we wanted to attack them. »
“Josef, it’s a Lamborghini”
In fact, during the first hour of play, the locals were practically alone on the field.
Ariel Lassiter, used on the wing in a more offensive assignment than usual, with Raheem Edwards to provide his back on the left, was particularly successful. Right back Ruan spared no effort on the other lane. The Brazilian was amazing, even if his crosses were still sorely lacking in precision.
PHOTO ERIC BOLTE, USA TODAY SPORTS
The side of Ruan Gregório Teixeira
All these players were brilliantly served by Bryce Duke in full control in his role as number 10. This match, and this style of play focused on possession of the ball, smiled on him. Finally, some will say, including the author of these lines.
“He has enormous qualities,” recalled Courtois. Like you, we’re a little unsatisfied sometimes when we see what he can do in training. We know that he is very critical of himself. He has a lot of play. Today, he showed what he is capable of. Now can he repeat? »
This sustained presence in the attacking third caused some solid duels. Sometimes too much. Matías Cóccaro had to come off injured in the 26th; he tried to play despite the pain, but he finally gave way to Josef Martínez.
However, it was the Venezuelan’s foot that served Montreal best in this match. Almost invisible since his entry, the gunner only needed one clear opportunity to give his team the lead in the first period. In stoppage time, on a pass from Edwards in the area, his right-footed shot brought the Saputo Stadium crowd to its feet in excitement.
“Josef, it’s a Lamborghini,” said Courtois. You have to be patient with him. It was very cold today, he’s not used to it. He has just settled in, welcomed his family like me. […] We must create an environment so that Josef can express his qualities. »
“Matí was a little devastated,” added the CFM pilot about Cóccaro. He’s worried, that’s normal. We know he’s turned a little, we’re going to do the tests. »
When everything works…
The second half started at the same pace. But against the run of play, Cincinnati found the fault. On a quick sequence of passes in the 58th minute, Yuya Kubo managed to thwart Jonathan Sirois who had been little used until then.
But quickly, Martínez once again smelled a good deal. In the 62nd minute, he handed the leather to a Lassiter about to take off in the center. The one who developed as an attacker before being transferred to the full-back position in Montreal demonstrated his know-how by threading the needle to give his team the lead again.
“In this situation, I saw a lot of space behind,” Lassiter described. I knew what I had in mind from the moment Josef got the ball: get to the goal and score the ball. Thank goodness it came home. I hope I can continue to demonstrate that through this long season. »
On his successful partnership with Duke and Martínez – who had a goal and an assist in that encounter – Lassiter spoke of a bond dating back to their time together in Miami. “I know Josef and Bryce’s tendencies. I feed off what they give me. »
FC Cincinnati is still one of the powers of the league, and showed a more interesting face at the end of the match. The Montreal defense was busy, but did not falter.
“We saw everything we wanted to see: the creation of the game, the arrivals in the box, the pressing, the management of emotions, solidity in set plays,” listed Courtois.
“You put it all together, and it makes for a solid performance from my guys. »
RISING
Bryce Duke
PHOTO PETER MCCABE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Bryce Duke plays physical against Ian Murphy
A scapegoat for fans since mid-2023, Bryce Duke showed all his promise on Saturday night, and he deserves to be mentioned here again. His association with Josef Martínez, in particular, created very nice sparks. So much so that we have the impression of having found a winning combination in the attacking third with this trio completed by Lassiter.
FALLING
Raheem Edwards
Edwards provided the assist for the first goal of the match, crucial to leaving at halftime with a logical lead. But he starts to get into the bad habit of collecting boxes. Remember that it was his expulsion after a red in Chicago which led to the stampede at the end of the match. This time, Courtois played cautiously by replacing him with Victor Wanyama in the 63rd. It could even have been right after halftime.
2024-04-14 01:46:53
#Montreal #Cincinnati #Montreal #impresses #wins
