CF Montreal wants to do well on two fronts this season: in Major League Soccer (MLS) and in the Canadian Championship. This is why the Montreal eleven does not intend to show condescension upon entering the Canadian Championship against the Halifax Wanderers on Wednesday.
Wilfried Nancy’s club will have to be wary of the formation of the Canadian Premier League (PLC), undefeated in its last eight outings in all competitions.
“A football match, over 90 minutes, anything is possible. Of course, we play in MLS and we are supposed to win: that’s what we want to do, noted Nancy in videoconference on Monday. But it is an opportunity for the teams of the PLC, with former players from our region, in academia in particular, and players who have not yet had the opportunity to play in MLS, to give everything to try to us to beat. “
“It’s not going to be easy”
“Vancouver lost to a PLC team. Two years ago we struggled against York and Calgary. […] I don’t expect to win 6 or 7-0, but I do expect a football game where my players have to be very focused, says Nancy. It’s not going to be easy. This is the charm of this competition. “
Midfielder Mathieu Choinière agrees. “We know that this team will give everything, will be at 200%, he said of the Wanderers. For us, it is enough to arrive as for all the other matches and to do everything to win. They really shouldn’t be taken lightly. “
A football match, over 90 minutes, anything is possible. Of course, we play in MLS and we are supposed to win: that’s what we want to do. But it is an opportunity for the teams of the PLC, with former players from our region, in academia in particular, and players who have not yet had the opportunity to play in MLS, to give everything to try to us to beat.
Nancy remembers her experiences in 2e Division, while he and his teammates took pleasure in thwarting the plans of Ligue 1 clubs in the Coupe de France.
“We always wanted to win in the Coupe de France. We know very well that this match is going to be a cup match. These meetings are not easy, because there are always surprises. I am thinking about training.
“The ‘Canada Cup’ is the possibility of winning a trophy as quickly as possible and we can make the Champions League. It is important to us, we want to do well. I’m going to put the team that will give us the best chance of winning and going as far as possible, in parallel with our MLS games, where we also want to go as far as possible. “
In order to reach the quarterfinals, the Wanderers defeated AS Blainville 2-1 last month. The winner will find the Forge of Hamilton in the four-quarter ace, a match that will have to be included in the already very tight schedule of CF Montreal.
“The worst case scenario”
” The problem [avec ces compétitions]is that it adds games and it affects our recovery, said the coach. Playing on Wednesdays and Saturdays is the worst case scenario for players. My reflection will be made with my staff to know who we play, who we start and especially for how long. We want to play both competitions, so I’m going to rely on my group to continue on these two tables. “
Nancy will also be able to count on a group of seasoned Canadians for this meeting, which requires the participation of three starters from Canada in the training.
“It’s a source of pride,” said Nancy. I am very proud to see that in previous years, we had difficulty getting Canadian players. This year is different. We have more of them in training, and they participate in games. We must have three Canadian starters, it will not be difficult: we have a lot! “
CF Montreal will fly to Halifax on Tuesday. The meeting will take place the next day at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Watch video
Reference-feedproxy.google.com