Kei Kamara livens up CF Montréal in come-from-behind draw on the road

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It was halftime, and CF Montréal manager Wilfried Nancy knew something had to change. Someone had to instil some life into his disjointed club, which was fortunate enough to be trailing by only one goal, on the road, against the Philadelphia Union.

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Enter Kei Kamara, whose impact off the bench couldn’t be denied.

“I try with the staff to read the story of the game,” Nancy explained following Saturday afternoon’s 1-1 draw against the Union at Subaru Park — a valuable road point produced thanks to Kamara’s equalizer in the 59th minute. “I wasn’t happy with the way we played in terms of position in the first half. I felt it was a good time to change the animation and to bring in Kei.

“Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Today wasn’t so bad. Voila.”

The Union’s Julián Carranza scored the opening goal in the 21st on a penalty following a questionable — and arguably unnecessary — challenge by Canadian international defender Kamal Miller inside the box. And although there was little sustained play at either end of the pitch in the opening half, Philadelphia exhibited more life than the listless visitors, with Mikael Uhre repeatedly trying to set up either Carranza or Leon Flach from the left flank.

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“In the first half, we had possession also,” Nancy said. “But the way we managed the game with the ball wasn’t good. We didn’t have good runs or movements to get more opportunities. In the second half, we adjusted a bit.”

After failing to get his head on an earlier cross from Honduran international Romell Quioto, Kamara wasn’t going to be thwarted a second time. He converted Quioto’s cross while sliding, beating centre-back Jakob Glesnes to the ball.

“Being on the bench and seeing what the first half was, I definitely knew we needed some energy in the box,” Kamara explained. “Philadelphia’s a good team defensively. They have big boys in the centre-backs. I felt I had to bring my presence on the field.

“We have to give ourselves credit. It’s not easy getting points on the road. We had a rough first half, but it wasn’t too bad since we were only down by a goal. Stay positive, because we knew we’d get our chances. We have multiple guys on this team who can score goals. It’s not three points, but it’s a point and it’s a positive result we can take back home.”

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Kamara, the 37-year-old striker signed as a free agent in February, now has two goals this season and 132 in his legendary career — one away from moving into a fourth-place tie with Jaime Moreno.

“I’m grateful it’s coming with this club,” Kamara said. “I’m not worried about getting those goals to climb up the ranks because I’m still playing. I score goals. When those goals come, the list is going to keep changing, but that’s not my focus. If I focus on that, I lose focus on what to do. I know what the task is. That’s why I’m here. I’m happy to come off the bench and help the guys.”

The significance of getting yet another result on the road, especially against the Eastern Conference-leading Union, can’t be minimized. Since being defeated, 4-1, by New York City FC on March 12 — it seems like ages ago — CFM has been undefeated in four road matches, including a pair of wins.

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CF Montréal also stretched its unbeaten streak to five, including three victories, and has an overall record of 3-3-2. Six of its opening eight have come on the road. With its next two games at Saputo Stadium, starting Saturday afternoon against Atlanta United, the side should be able to continue climbing the table.

“We’re on a good run right now, and it’s been a collective effort,” said Repentigny midfielder Samuel Piette, who made his season debut in the 82nd, finally having recovered from an ankle injury that sidelined him for three months. “We’re able to forget the past, have short-term memory and move on. It’s always tough to come back, especially here. We showed a lot of character, even if we have a younger group. It shows how together we are and the character we have, just finding ways to get results.

“Today was a good result,” he added. “We’ll play better games… and we’ll lose. Today wasn’t our best performance; we all know that. Sometimes things don’t go your way and you have to find a way to get the points. Today wasn’t the prettiest game, but we found a way to not lose.”

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