CF Montreal | Josef Martínez injured in training

We have good and bad news to share with you about CF Montreal. Let us start with the bad ones.

After the exit due to injury of Matías Cóccaro in the 26th^e minute of Saturday night’s match, Josef Martínez left club training limping on Tuesday morning.

We didn’t see the contact that ended his session – the players were separated into two groups and playing small matches at the other end of the natural pitch, away from the press box. Martínez remained on the ground for a few minutes, training was interrupted, he got up on his own, then limped off the pitch.

The Press then saw the star striker sitting in a car, crutches at his side, at the exit of the Nutrilait Center.

Neither Joel Waterman nor Bryce Duke – the two players available to the media on Tuesday – saw the footage, and therefore could not comment on it.

Should we fear the worst in the case of the Venezuelan? It’s still too early to tell. One thing is certain, if Cóccaro and Martínez are both absent for the next match, in addition to Kwadwo Opoku’s long-term injury, an attacking corps stocked at the start of the season has just undergone a draconian slimming regime.

The Uruguayan was not among his team in training, and we have no news of his state of health. Jules-Anthony Vilsaint is getting closer to a return, but again on Tuesday he trained away from his teammates. The heavy task of scoring goals could therefore fall to Sunusi Ibrahim and Mason Toye next Saturday. Needless to say, these two players don’t pose the same offensive threats as their injured counterparts.

Unless Laurent Courtois plays creative and brings back Ariel Lassiter up front, he who developed as an attacker before moving to the full-back position in Montreal. The Costa Rican international was also switched to the left wing on Saturday, and he scored the winning goal with great power. Net whose decisive pass came from Josef Martínez, moreover.

Which leads us to our good news…

A new saving “routine”

Beyond the result, CF Montreal’s performance has something to delight and reassure all interested parties – players, coaches, management, fans.

One of the reasons for this success? Bryce Duke. The trio he formed with Lassiter and Martínez was crucial in the creation of chances and the style of play deployed.

Duke recorded three key passes and had 79 touches on the ball – the second highest total in the CFM, after Choinière (87). By observing the heat maps of his last two starts, against Cincinnati and against Chicago, two matches in which the Bleu-blanc-noir had the ascendancy notwithstanding the final result, we notice how much more conclusive his performance on Saturday was. The cards are taken from the website specializing in sports statistics Sofascore.

And otherwise, to the naked eye, the American looked like the player the organization set its sights on when acquiring it last spring. How can we explain this comeback after a difficult start to the season, during which he never really found his bearings?

“I just found a routine that works for me,” he said Tuesday. I applied it constantly, until the match. I felt good, I liked my game, and everything went well for me. I hope I can continue. »

The word “routine” came up several times during his press briefing. So, what is this routine?

“I am followed by a sports psychologist, so I talk to him. I do things that I enjoy off the field. I find what works for me on a daily basis, what I do before training, after training. And my family is in town right now, so that helps too. »

His parents are visiting from Arizona to attend the team’s two home games.

“Basically, it’s bringing what I love to do in life and transposing it onto the field. »

Joel Waterman says he has a “very close” relationship with Duke. “I have all the confidence in the world in him, we believe in him,” said the Canadian defender on Tuesday.

“We need him on a regular basis. He had a gigantic performance, and that’s what we know he’s capable of doing. He can do this every week. »

“Everything came naturally”

The effectiveness of the Lassiter-Martínez-Duke trio is not a surprise for those mainly involved. The three players played together at Inter Miami until last year.

“Ariel played as a winger there,” Duke remembers. It was good to see him higher up the pitch. And it’s obviously a privilege to play with Josef, because the guy has accomplished so much. We understand each other and anticipate our movements. »

It was also the kind of match that suits Bryce Duke’s style: CF Montreal kept possession of the ball, and the American was able to act like a real play creator, instead of being under opposing pressure and not touching only briefly on the ball. He’ll have to find a way to make himself indispensable in this other side of the game, especially overseas, but he’s enjoying the moment for now.

“I felt like I was more involved in the game, with and without the ball. (…) It’s as if by trying less, I’m trying more, if that makes sense. My mentality was just to go out there, not think about it too much, and just have fun. Everything came naturally. This is the mentality I want to have for the future. »

It’s still early, and Duke has not yet proven to us that he can sustain these great performances. But if he unlocks, and Courtois finds a way to use him to his full potential, this could perhaps be the best news for CF Montreal at the start of the season.