Many things can go wrong besides tactics. Colorado 3 Montreal 2.

Just when we thought we figured out the ideal attacking formation on the field the defensive back-line, which we are very proud of, decided to have a reckless night.

Besides the score, I am pleased of our overall performance last night. I am pleased to see how effective can this midfield be when Felipe does not have to be a box-to-box midfielder and Bernier is on the field complementing. It reminded us the first 5 games of the season when the only good thing was midfield transition.

The best combination is having Warner as a staying-home midfielder, Felipe as a trequartista and Bernier free on the field filling the holes of these two. It just gave the best results showcasing the Montrealer at his best. I'm very happy of Patrice performance last night.

The magic 4-2-3-1 makes ball possession and creative attacking easier and it is even more effective when you have the players to make it happen, it has been more than a month since I have been proposing this formation. It took us 13 games to find the right players for the right positions, I honestly loved the starter eleven last night, but since they are humans many things can go wrong besides the tactics.

Matteo Ferrari decided to play a very poor game in Denver. He was caught out of position many times, being the second goal a good example. The Italian wasn't bight with the ball on his feet either turning the ball over several occasions. I realized I was right when he was the first substitution.

Matteo Ferrari. Courtesy of  montrealimpact.com

Greg Sutton on the 3rd goal. Simple, he looked like he was at Claude Robillard warming up before the start of the training. Shameful.

On the other hand, Sanna Nyassi decided to shine all night on the right flank, with his limitations specially finishing but even then his shots did not go very wide. He was quick and created spaces making what Justin Mapp has been doing so far and moreover what Lamar Neagle has been incapable of doing previous matches.

Last but not least, I am not a big fan of blame the referees for our losses but these guys in grey didn't do a good job last night. Their bad decisions week in and week out are the real downside of the MLS and need to be addressed ASAP.

Another frustrating night for Impact fans, but the future still looks bright having more games left at home than away, with Marco Di Vaio arriving tonight and a Saputo Stadium ready to fit the right crowd to rock the road to the playoffs.

See you guys later.

401 Derby - Montreal vs Toronto - Impact needs small tweaks

It is frustrating to still wait for our first win in the league. It is something we have to deal with and a chapter we have to close as soon as possible. 

As I said in previous posts, Montreal is not playing bad football, unfortunately highlights don't show it, but Impact's midfield really looks good many times during a game and that is something I enjoy. 

Salt Lake is one of the most feared team in the league, especially at home and I expected my team, after losing two road games in a row, to play the counter attack and defend most of the game. This did not happen and this is why my first tweet after the game was: "wow my team has a hell of a character". Montreal played all game like a veteran team in the league with enough potential to play face to face the 2009 MLS Cup winners and 2011 Concacaf champions league finalists, sharing possession of the ball in half (51% vs 49%) allowing only 1 goal (penalty kick). 

It is all about the attitude and this is where I give lots of credit to Jessee Marsch. Good evidence of this is pulling one defender to add one forward in the last 15min, by the way I loved that. 

The problem comes when the team have the ball and don't have the means to score a goal. The first to blame is Justin Braun and the second is the blind faith the coach has on him. This kid, because his conditions, could be useful in a counter attack strategy but not if Montreal attacks as a block like they usually have done. Braun, unable to hold the ball in his feet, basically stopped every move going forward.

I also have doubts about the defensive positioning of our left back Josh Gardner. Two games in a row he's been caught giving opponent forwards lots of space to create and also being vulnerable to the first fake. This is something I would pay attention since having Tyson Wahl as option giving Shaver Thomas the chance to repeat in the lineup to start gaining confidence as well. 

Against Toronto, a team that has good offensive pace but currently not the best defense this would be my starting lineup. 

Ricketts - Brovsky - Ferrari - Thomas - Wahl - Arnaud - Bernier - Felipe - Warner - Mapp - Wegner.

This way Felipe can contribute more in the attack and double pivot Bernier-Warner would free up Mapp and Arnaud from defensive chores. 

I really like this rivalry, just the fact this red jersey guys are walking around in St-Catherine street with they attitude piss me off. Lets beat the reds and send them home!

See you guys tomorrow!

Montreal fans are being tested, We are ok!

Between bad referee calls, lack of finishing on the attack and silly errors on defense Montreal Impact fans are being tested on how to handle the start of this expansion season.   


Besides how frustrating can it be, Montreal is not playing bad football.


In this modern era of physical, fast and athletic football where results are more important than the game itself, the ability to create scoring opportunities as a priority has become one of the scarcest resources in the sport. 


Currently Montreal Impact is 2nd best in the league on Shots on Goal and Total Shots behind Sporting Kansas City which is the only team in MLS still unbeaten. The Impact (25 shots on goal) currently triples what Vancouver (7) or Toronto (7) have done and doubles Chivas USA (10) and Philadelphia (11) in the same category. This is pretty good! 


This make us appreciate what Jesse Marsch is doing. The coach is really building a personality in this team and even if they are playing away against one of the powers of the league the strategy remains the same. The most difficult is being made which is "creating scoring opportunities". 


Maybe yes, the coach can be blamed for not adding an extra midfield against NY and avoid the 5 goals. But damn we really enjoyed the first half! with Montreal outplaying the RedBulls in their fancy arena. I am sure this will cause Marsch to add an extra midfield tonight against Real Salt Lake and avoid another rally that, yes, at the end hurt us the morale. This guy most probably will be Collen Warner which might pair up very good with Bernier, who played an excellent game in NY, and it might free up Felipe a little on the creation side. Me, as long as Justin Mapp and Matteo Ferrari are playing I have no problem to tweak a little the rest of the lineup. A good 4-2-3-1 might do the job. 


We have to be patient, our coach has the best intentions to build this team correctly and I am sure it will bring the best results in the mid-long term. 


So don't go to bed early tonight because game starts at 9pm on TVA Sports. 

First lesson for Montreal Impact in MLS. Now the home opener

The first two errors in MLS were very expensive and unfortunately for the anxious fans they started early in the game. The Impact lost its first match 2-0 in Vancouver with goals from elite MLS forwards Sebastian LeToux and Camilo.


 




I'm going to analyze game, with the help of the Matchcenter chalkboard, and point out what I think could be improved for the next match.  


My first concern after this game is Justin Braun. The young forward was not at the level we all desired, at least for Jesse Marsch first scheme. He couldn't pivot the attack effectively, he didn't make a shot on goal in all game and he was unable to make a dangerous move or pass to feed the attacking midfielders. Unless Corradi is signed this week, I wouldn't be surprised if Wenger or even Sebrango start the next game.


Many people may argued the decision of Nyassi being chosen as the man of the match for the Impact in that game. Fans were not happy with the inaccuracy on his passing and the turnovers caused but, on the other side, his work rate and footprint on the pitch are undeniable covering twice the space Justin Braun covered. Also the Gambian recovered more balls than any other forward, including Whitecaps' 3 forwards,  and even more than Patrice Bernier who is supposed to lead the team in this category. That being said, we can expect better games for this player and most probably he should be in the starter eleven against Chicago.


Justin Mapp also had a weak performance being second with most unsuccessful passes in the team, one of them led to the second goal of the Whitecaps, and was the only player in the team with zero recoveries during the game something Marsch shouldn't be happy about. My opinion, won't start next game, specially if Sinisa Ubiparipovic is healthy or a chance is given to Lamar Neagle.


The duo Felipe-Bernier was not as effective as it was in preseason but they had a decent game. They rely on the team's offensive performance to look better but they did not dare enough to give them a try. I blame that to the nerves of the first kick but I have no doubt this duo will improve with the time.


The defensive line was very decent, the first goal was a matter of timing and that certainly will improve with time as well. What we should regret is the lack of intensity of Josh Garner in Camilo's goal, he could have done more in that play but overall this back line did many things right, specially when compared with this week LA Galaxy and NY Red Bulls defensive errors in their respective loses.


According to Marsch it won't be much changes in the starter eleven for the home opener and we, as fans, have to be ready to give them a second chance, in the Olympic Stadium,  to make things work. I am sure we will have a different discussion on Saturday evening after the match. 


You can watch the highlights here courtesy of MLSSOCCER.COM








Here are the highlights form the first week in MLS. For me Villar (FC Dallas vs NY) and Espindola (Real Salt Lake vs LA) are the two best goals of the week. 

Is Montreal now ready for the first ever MLS kick?

Well, we all know you cannot be 100% ready for anything but Montreal Impact seems now comfortable with most of the aspects of the game except the for the forwards part. Not bad at all for an expansion team.

I know my comments on the first match in Orlando against Vancouver and then against Sporting KC were mainly negative, but on Wednesday night's match we saw an improved team. With a few changes on the lineup when comparing it with first match, Montreal managed to have the ball, find and create spaces everything with a solid and confident defense.

Lets go  into more detail.

The back line looked very comfortable with the ball and also synchronized the 90minutes except for few aerial balls. Matteo Ferrari have a good vision of the game from the back and  Tyson Wahl  showed fresh legs and quickness in two key occasions inside the box.  Brovsky and Gardner covered the flanks with responsibility and, I imagine are Marsch instructions, didn't risk too much on the attack.

Courtesy of impactmontreal.com

The midfield looked great, and more on detail Patrice Bernier is definitely is a great pacemaker for the team because he can have the ball  and protect it while the best option arrives, that is a tough and risky job to do. I barely saw him causing turnovers last night and personally like very much his style. He also has a good couple on Felipe Martins who is very skillful but sometimes I think he is too young to pull the team’s strings. Marsch, very much as Arsene Wenger’s style, is confident on keeping the 21 year old Italian-Brazilian on the field because he can be an all around player.  

The flanks were very good too, with Arnaud and Ubiparipovic both offering diagonal options on the attack they were very dynamic creating a handful of chances that Braun and Fuscito didn’t capitalized. Arnaud’s game last night was remarkable also on the defensive side, fighting every ball and covering Brovsky’s attacks. The Texan has surprisingly quick legs that not even the young quebecois defenseman Andre Hainault could stopped him that night. I am very happy watching a player like Arnaud on Montreal and I most say I did not expected such a mobility in a veteran like him.

On the attack side is a different story. Unfortunately besides hassling the other team's defensemen they haven't offered a good work on the field. Justin Braun and Mike Fuscito need to hesitate less and risk more. With the substitutions, Montano and Neagle did not make the difference either. Hoping experienced Italian Bernardo Corradi brings a spark to prepare the youngters rise their level for the first kick. 

Three key players, Nyassi, Valentin and Mapp were not in Orlando. The good side is other players stepped up and showed they can be starters too. The bad side is good teamwork is already in place without them, the team made a good progress in Florida this past week and now they need to fit on the system again. 

Montreal have now a handful of options in many positions with versatile players and do not be surprised if the Impact shows a different starter eleven in at least the first 6 games until the ideal system is being played.

Impact vs Vancouver, pre-season in Orlando. The reality of an expansion team.

Disney Pro Soccer Classic in Orlando, Florida. Last three preseason games for the Impact. Tonight Montreal played against Vancouver and results did not go the way we wanted. Vancouver won the game 3-0 with goals from Hassli, Mattocks and LeToux (PK). 





Vancouver made us realized we are an expansion team with a lot to learn about how to win matches in this league, and the message has been given by the worst team in the league last season.  


Montreal starter eleven was: Ricketts, Brovsky, Ferrari, Wahl, Gardner, Arnaud, Bernier, Felipe, Neagle, Montaño et Sebrango. 


The Impact was outplayed by the Whitecaps in the first 20 min, after that, midfielders Patrice Bernier, Felipe Martins and Davy Arnaud started pulling the strings to create some danger and that draw me a smile in the face, it was the first time I watched Impact's MLS team,  but unfortunately inspiration was not enough to score a goal. 


Eric Hassli scored in a counter attack so sophisticated that whitecaps Argentinian center back Bonjour went all the way up like "Lucio" to make the cross to the Frenchman. I did not like the Donovan Ricketts reflexes on that shot, I think the ball was close enough to at least make contact. Our back line did not look good on that one.


Honestly, when the first half ended I was hopeful since we were increasing our level in the pitch. Miguel Montano and Lamar Neagle made their efforts with no luck, they just could not outplay Vancouver defense.


The second half was another story. The game didn't improve on quality but Vancouver improve on populating the midfield and being more dangerous when attacking. That way Mattocks, the forward Montreal did not picked on the superdraft, made Impact's back line suffer with his speed. Specially after Shavar Thomas made his appearance as a center back. 


Mattocks scored his goal on the 69" in an impressive acceleration display and killer instinct. Sebastian Le Toux scored his penalty in the 83" and Mike Fuscito had a chance from long distance before the game ended. 

Many questions now are raised, are Valentin, Nyassi and Mapp that important creating opportunities? Since were the ones missing on the team. 

Is our back line deep enough to overcome the injuries? with Camara and Rivas out we really need to sign Ferrari and if possible make Wegner play defense.

Is 4-4-2 the best lineup for the current team? maybe yes with Maap and Nyassi, but without them we need a "trequartista" like Ubiparipovic or the Argentinian Lucas Acosta to make the game more dynamic. 

Here the match highlights, courtesy of impactmontreal.com