We were treated to tuque soccer on Wednesday morning at the Nutrilait Center.
Because the mild weather of the last few days has not only benefited citizens who have had enough of winter. It also benefited CF Montreal, which was exceptionally able to reconnect with an outdoor synthetic pitch at its training center in February.
For a club that has been playing far from its facilities since January, in Arizona, Florida and at the picturesque Cégep Marie-Victorin, it “felt good,” says Quebecer Rida Zouhir.
It’s always nice to come home, he remarked. (…) I spent the vast majority of my youth in this area specifically, because I was at the Academy. It brings back good memories.
Rida Zouhir
Zouhir, like his teammates under their tuques, was smiling on Wednesday. The Bleu-blanc-noir was right to be: it delivered a more than honorable performance against Orlando in the first match of the season, last Saturday. This point collected at the end of a 0-0 score was the legitimate reward for a solid first outing abroad in a sequence of six.
The CFM could even have escaped with victory if it had managed to materialize some of its great opportunities. Bryce Duke knows this all too well.
“We could have come back with three points,” conceded the American midfielder after emphasizing how encouraging the result was for the future.
“In the first five minutes, we had three or four chances. As the season progresses, you’ll see this throughout the game, not just at the beginning. Then it became more defensive, and that’s normal for a match abroad. We played well on defense to keep our shutout. (…) Compared to last year, we are already off to a good start. That’s exciting. »
The first points collected on the road in 2023 were in the ninth game, a victory in Kansas City. In total, it was 2 victories, 13 defeats, 2 draws on opposing fields.
“We offered some very good football,” rejoiced Zouhir. This is the football we try to give to the fans. It begins well. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Josef Martinez
On Thursday, the club leaves for Texas, where it will face FC Dallas on Saturday evening.
“We set the bar quite high against Orlando,” said Zouhir, who played the last minutes of play in Florida. The biggest challenge for us will be to reproduce what we did. »
Courteous, new American citizen
Zouhir was chatting with the media inside after a session of about an hour and a half. He showed up wearing a Red Hot Chili Peppers jersey before a club member provided him with a CFM tracksuit for cameras.
– “Are you a Red Hot fan, Rida? », we ask him straight away.
– ” Pardon ? », he replies, incredulously.
– “Are you a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the band on your shirt? »
– “Ah! No, I don’t know them. I was told it was a music band. »
Our question about his favorite song about California therefore could not be formulated.
We said we were “warm” inside. This is because although the mercury exceeded 10 degrees Celsius on Wednesday morning, there is a certain microclimate at the Nutrilait Center from which there is a still cold wind emanating from the St. Lawrence River, on the other side of the Port of Montreal.
Hats, neck warmers, long sleeves and athletic pants were essential. Strangely, the Uruguayan Matías Cóccaro showed up with his face muffled – and his mustache hidden – but his legs uncovered. Who knows.
This training also took place without Laurent Courtois, who returned to Columbus this week to manage certain things, which we assume are linked to his move to Montreal.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
CF Montreal head coach, Laurent Courtois
The head coach himself clarified one of the reasons for his absence from the Quebec metropolis with a publication on X on Wednesday.
“First game in MLS, the guys got a hard-earned point in Orlando,” he wrote. And American citizenship 48 hours later. I want to thank everyone involved in this epic. Humans from Columbus, from Chicago, from Montreal. My boys… my family, friends in Lyon, on Reunion Island. I think of you a lot. »
In the absence of this Laurent, the CFM had another to take care of the training. For the players, having Laurent Ciman conduct training occasionally like this doesn’t change much.
“Anyway, I believe the training sessions are filmed, and the coach watches them from a distance very carefully, Zouhir emphasizes with a laugh. If you don’t do the work, you can be sure he’ll tell you when he comes back. »
Same story for Bryce Duke, who nevertheless notes a significant quality specific to Ciman.
“Lolo being Lolo, he will tell you bluntly what you need to improve, what you did well. And that’s what I respect a lot about him. »
reference: www.lapresse.ca