MONTREAL — CF Montreal will be leaning on its impressive home form as it opens its Leagues Cup campaign against Mexican side Pumas U.N.A.M. on Saturday.
Despite a brief dip in quality at Stade Saputo, Montreal still holds one of the best home records in Major League Soccer this season, taking eight wins from 11 games and only conceding five goals in that span. It’s also in an advantageous position as both its group stage games will be played at home.
“We take every competition very seriously and the Leagues Cup is no exception,” said Montreal coach Hernan Losada.
“Having the home field advantage is a very good opportunity for the team and we will tackle this game with the same energy as every other match. Playing in front of our home fans, we’re going to do everything we can to stay competitive.”
While Montreal passed the halfway mark of its MLS season last week, Pumas are only now starting their campaign. The seven-time Liga MX champions currently sit fourth with one win and two draws.
“Offensively, they get forward very quickly and they’re very good on the counterattack. We’ll have to manage that very closely and make sure to keep our shape defensively,” said midfielder Mathieu Choinière, who participated in his first Major League Soccer all-star game on Wednesday.
“When we lose the ball, we need to press them straight away and stamp out and counters. When we have the ball, we need to keep it as much as we can to control the game and adjust if needed.”
Playing against teams that concede possession and look to hit back on the counter has been something of a sore spot this season for Montreal. The club has held more than 54 per cent of the ball nine times yet has lost eight of those games. On the other hand, they have a record of 4-3-1 when controlling less than 45 per cent of possession
Those results have highlighted Montreal’s difficulties trying to create and finish chances against teams with low blocks, which then exposes them to the counterattack.
“I have to be a bit smarter in the way that I choose to go for and pick my moments to catch the defense off guard,” said wing-back Ariel Lassiter. “We have to be the aggressors in the match. We have to be ready for what’s ahead and stay focused on our game. It’s about finding the right opportunities and catch the defense sleep and take advantage of that.”
Montreal has never played against Pumas before, but that won’t alter the way the coaching staff approaches the game.
“Even with only three games played, we can have a good analysis of what we can expect from them, so we approach it the same way we do for any game,” said Losada. “It’s important to stay in this group because or else, we’re stuck for two weeks with no competitive matches, and we need to stay in form for the end of the season.”
A win will set either team up nicely for qualification into the next round given that the group stage is only two games. Winning in regulation time is more valuable as well.
Victory within 90 minutes will grant a team three points. Should the match end in a draw after 90 minutes, a penalty shootout will decide the winner who will earn only two points, with a single point going to the loser.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2023.
Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press