MONTREAL – If a team falls without anyone there to hear it, does its fall make a sound?
Even before an endless storm chased away many of the faithful who had gathered there, Stade Saputo was bare and unusually silent on Wednesday evening. Before the return match of the quarter-finals of the Canadian Championship between CF Montreal and Forge FC of Hamilton, the group of supporters 1642MTL announced that its members would remain silent during the first half in order to protest against the recent performances of their favorites . At the other end of the enclosure, the grievances of hardened supporters had been summed up on a modest banner hung at the bottom of the stands: “Unacceptable”.
On the ground, there is no reaction. Against a second division team, the home team allowed major league malaise to set in. There was indeed a revival of life after the intermission, prolonged by almost two hours by the hostile weather conditions, but the damage was done.
The bottom of the barrel? It wasn’t quite that, ultimately, in Toronto.
Beaten 2-1 (3-2 in total goals), Montreal suffered a shocking elimination which adds a heavy layer of questions about the setbacks accumulated for more than a month. In all competitions, the count is now at eight consecutive matches without a victory.
His voice gone, coach Laurent Courtois seemed incredulous at the outcome of the day. “I’m ashamed,” he said when asked about the message he gave to his players after the game.
In the history of the Canadian Championship, this is the fourth time that a Canadian Premier League club has managed to trip up an MLS opponent. The Impact now keeps sad company with the Vancouver Whitecaps, who suffered the affront three times.
“It’s a combination of things. I’m ashamed of what happened in Toronto [samedi dernier] in general, Courtois developed. Our supporters who came, the faces we showed. The fact of having been downgraded. And then I have trouble explaining this first half, which is so lethargic [ce soir]. We all have ambitions. Sometimes I wish they could see themselves in our actions. »
“We have to wake up, look at ourselves in the mirror,” suggested Mathieu Choinière, who tried for the third time in a week, in a lexical field that is starting to be redundant, to explain the inexplicable in front of the cameras. We have to see what we are doing wrong, correct it and above all increase the intensity. That’s the big word, I think. We can talk about tactics, technique, anything. If we show up on the field and we don’t have intensity, we’re not going to go anywhere. »
Too little, too late
Ghostly from the first whistle, the Bleu-Blanc-Noir conceded for the first time in the 14th minute. After easily beating Montreal’s first defensive curtain, Forge went on the attack on the left side. At the end of the action, Beni Badibanga slipped a pass between the legs of George Campbell for Daniel Parra near the six meters. Under the indifferent gaze of Victor Wanyama, the Mexican defender armed a left-footed shot and put an image on the chasm which separated at that precise moment the level of initiative of the two rivals.
In the 25th minute, insult to injury. Kwasi Poku received a long ball sent over Gabriele Corbo and, with all the composure the situation demanded, lifted it beyond Sebastian Breza’s reach.
Still without a pulse, Montreal then needed at least three goals to ensure its survival.
First jolt on the electrocardiogram screen in the 31st minute. On the arrival of a beautiful cross from Ilias Iliadis, Joaquín Sosa put a header behind goalkeeper Christopher Kalongo, but was immediately judged offside in his appeal.
The last quarter of an hour of the first period, although dotted with a few scattered chances, fooled no one. While in 132, a sign shouted “RESPECT US” in black ink, the sad latecomers marched towards the locker rooms to deserved boos.
After the match, when Courtois was asked if the slow execution of his flock was part of the game plan, his response was articulated as a cry for help. “No,” he whispered before returning, with a downcast expression, to his quarters.
The ordeal was interrupted before the start of the second half, with weather conditions forcing authorities to shelter everyone. After a long break, the Impact returned to the pitch with three new faces and an honor to save.
“At halftime, it was this: what are you waiting for to fight for yourself,” revealed Courtois. Let’s no longer talk about tactics, let’s no longer talk about strategy or rotation. These are the basic elements of commitment, of desire. »
The contrast in attitude was evident from the restart. Faced with an opposition folded into a compact bloc, the locals got to work, weaving their web in enemy territory. For twenty minutes, Forge trembled without breaking, Kalongo responding with aplomb to the challenge.
The dam finally gave way in the 68th minute, when Wanyama’s header found itself in the path of a long cross from Bryce Duke. Smells of recovery began to circulate in the stands.
Two minutes later, Wanyama volleyed a ball from close range, but Kalongo didn’t flinch. It might have been the end of the match.
Forge finally held on beyond added time. As a reward, the Ontario club will face Toronto FC in the next round of the competition.
Since the Canadian Championship was played in its current form, this is the first time that Montreal has failed to reach the semi-finals. With the goal of a Voyageurs Cup now obsolete, the team will be able to focus on resurrecting its season in MLS.
It’s not won, but at least time is on his side.
2024-05-23 04:31:00
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