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. 

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