CF Montreal 4 – Philadelphia Union 2 | A victory, finally

The stakes weren’t life or death for CF Montreal on Saturday night. But at this point in an up-and-down season, it had to pivot to the other side of the draw. In that sense, a win against a struggling opponent was paramount.

And it was acquired, not without difficulty. Montreal won 4-2 against the Philadelphia Union at Saputo Stadium, thanks in particular to goals from Dominic Iankov and Ruan at the very end of the game. Two nets which broke a 2-2 deadlock, disappointing until the 89th^e minute, and which confirmed the locals’ ascendancy in the second period.

Because the first – at the end of which the Bleu-blanc-noir returned to the locker room with a 2-1 deficit – it had been complicated.

“We said to ourselves that we wanted to change the scenario of the match at half-time,” said Laurent Courtois. The guys made the adjustments, and they were able to be effective in the finishing zone. »

The positive result did not shake Courtois from his usual calm, and we can understand why: it was still only the second victory in 15 matches for his group, all competitions combined. Against a Union that now has only one in 14 outings, we are not talking about a feat here either.

“It’s definitely a relief,” the technician admits. “It’s nice for the guys who were back.”

Josef Martínez is part of this group, who has been cleared since returning from injury in mid-June. And Saturday evening, among other things thanks to his equalizing goal from 1-1 in the 36th^ethe Venezuelan “drew the group upwards”, analyzed his coach.

Courtois particularly praised Martínez’s “body language,” which has been “communicative” in his “positive energy for a while now.”

Attack unlocks

Martinez’s leadership helped CF Montreal in this encounter, yes. But you would be reading a completely different text if Iankov, who came on as a substitute in the 76th minute,^ehad not threaded the needle after Raheem Edwards’ beautiful pass into the area.

Or if Ruan had not deflected Lassi Lappalainen’s lovely cross in the 92nd minute^e to complete the ascent brilliantly.

Or if Bryce Duke had not been lucky on the equalizing goal of 2-2 in the 56th minute^ewhen his free kick deflected everyone, including young goalkeeper Andrew Rick, and found its way into the Union goal. A visiting defender put his foot on it at the end, causing some uncertainty over who scored the goal, but it was Duke who was credited with it at the time of publication. The bizarre goal was made even worse by Martínez’s near-miss as he prowled in front of the captor.

“I count it as my goal!”, says the American when asked, jokingly, if the trajectory of his shot was planned. […] At first, on the pitch, I argued a bit with Josef about whether it was mine or his. I said to myself: just give it to me, he’s already had enough!

Martínez became the eighth highest scorer in MLS history with his 108^eSATURDAY.

Then, on Ruan, who took a mask of the superhero Flash out of his pockets when he scored. A gesture that caused hilarity among the CFM players not on the match sheet, sitting to the right of the press box. Mason Toye, in particular, could not stop laughing.

How long had this mask been hidden?

“I had no idea!” says Duke. He went to look in his pockets, and I wondered what he was going to come out with. He kept it a secret. »

Waiting for feedback

CFM has to deal with the absences of its pillars Joel Waterman, Samuel Piette, Mathieu Choinière and Ariel Lassiter, all at the Copa América. But on Saturday, Matías Cóccaro was also absent, without appearing on the injured list. Was he being punished for his little tantrum on Wednesday, in training?

“A punishment, no,” Courtois replied. I’m trying to be fair. I try to be as transparent as possible in general. He has a lot, a lot of work to do, and a little to do to reach out to others. It is not only us who must go to him. »

This is still a big assertion of authority on the part of the rookie head coach. And for a long time in this match, she looked risky.

The first half was soporific for both sides until Quinn Sullivan, on the half-hour mark, lit the first spark of the match by making it 1-0. Martínez rose to put in a lovely header in the 36th minute^e… then, his team was guilty of many screw-ups on a catastrophic play while trying to defend a corner. Jesus Bueno finally took advantage, and Jim Curtin’s men regained the lead 2-1.

When we returned from the locker room, possession of the ball was clearer and more efficient. To the point of allowing him to score three goals in a row to come from behind, to add three points to his haul, and to return to 10^e position in the standings, two units from a place in the playoffs. Can this win become the foundation on which to build the second half of the season?

“There is the version where you listen, you apply, you stick together,” Courtois shared in front of the media, as if he were talking to his players. And there is the version where we hesitate, where we forget, where we fall asleep and have difficulties. […] Do you choose the first or second half? »