Montreal keeping the playoff dreams alive.

Don't underestimate your enemy. I hope is something Merrit Paulsen learned last Saturday.
He decided to rest important players like De Rosario, Pontius and Boskovic that night because, I guess, substitutes are enough to beat an expansion team.

Well, obviously things didn't turn up as expected.

Bernier and Warner. Courtesy of impactmontreal.com 

Impact played another strong game at home. Montreal controlled the midfield while defenders were sharp all 90 min.

Again the Warner-Bernier duo was close to perfect, this allowed to have more presence in the midfield and create more chances overall.

We didn't start the game well.  Sometimes we seemed to be more concerned about not losing the game keeping a harmless, low paced possession. This reminded me when we played against TFC in the Canadian Championship -bad memories-. Later on, around minute 22, Bernier made a great accurate pass in the box to Di Vaio and goal!!

Great classy finishing by the Italian and yes, first shot of the game first goal. Deserved? Hard to tell because DC United didn't do much before that either. 

Montreal, again in the situation of do or die, didn't risk much in the attack focusing a lot on having a flawless defense and tying to preserve the lead at all cost. This style has benefited Montreal lately because our all-around midfielders can pretty much attack and defend at any time -thanks Jesse- and all of the sudden in the second half Collen Warner had a clear run for the ball in the box, after another top class pass from Bernier, but received a clear contact from the central defender getting the penalty shot called from the referee. This was probably a non-existent call in Serie A, but MLS has been consistent on this particular type of play and Hassun Camara or Matteo Ferrari know something about it. 

The rest of the game was an open 2-0 typical scenario where Montreal counter attacked a low paced DC United in several occasions and after three or four attempts the third goal arrived. Patrice Bernier, who outclassed the opponents all game, made a 70 meters run to kill Hamid with a shot to the near post. Thanks Patrice!, thanks.

These are some enjoyable times in Montreal, specially while the playoffs hopes are alive.

Now, the next opponent is the red hot Columbus Crew and Federico Higuain. I've been saying this before the game with San Jose and here I go again. If we win this match we have a great chance to make the playoffs.

Here are the highlights from the game.


 

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.

Pregame notes vs Portland Timbers.

Last week Montreal gave another step forward  and  is starting to feel more part the pack in MLS rather than an expansion team,

 It’s scary knowing we already played a quarter of our schedule and we are unable to to create quality attacks. It is time to focus on our weaknesses and find a way to be less vulnerable, because 1 win, 5 losses and 2 ties is not an exciting record specially when Montreal is struggling to attract new fans into this new project. 

That night in DC, before the end of the game, Jesse Marsch reminded all of us how different can the options be with Corradi or Braun on the field, especially being one of the most effective games for the Italian since he arrived when winning almost all air duels creating several opportunities for Nyassi who unfortunately spent most of the night offside, but that’s another discussion.  Bernardo, who obviously lacks Braun’s speed is very good positioning the body and winning headers which that night gave another dimension to Impact’s attack. Not that I like the abuse of long balls we played  in DC but at least we have Bernardo to start in those attacks. With Braun on the field, well unfortunately nothing happens. 

We need a guy that play behind the forwards and make that final pass we are all waiting. We have that guy and has the number 28 on his back. Sinisa Ubiparipovic has not the best defending qualities and I imagine that is why Felipe has been starting all games, because the Brazilian is an all around midfielder, the favorite profile for Jesse Marsch. But it is time to make a change in the approach of the game. The duo Felipe-Bernier or Felipe-Warner is what has established Montreal’s character in the league where everywhere I read or listen comments about our city the only good thing I hear is ‘’The Impact is not an easy team to play against’’.  That is a good reputation, I like it, but we are not a dangerous team when in possession of the ball. 

The approach I would take in the next games, or at least I would try it against Timbers today, is to use the double pivot Bernier-Warner knowing both midfielders have played very well in previous games and have Ubiparipovic with 2  wingers like Mapp and Arnaud or Neagle or Nyassy in the attack with only one forward building a 4-2-3-1. This way the Serbian won’t have much defensive chores and might concentrate to distribute the ball with to attackers.  because is there where Felipe has failed in the last 5 games. I don’t remember another good pass besides the one to Nyassi to complete the 1st ever MLS goal on Arnaud’s header. I also don’t think is fair either to relegate Ubiparipovic to the bench after showing his good touch against Toronto.

According to the latest trends on the trainings, I know this formation is not what is on Marsch’s mind but in my opinion is the best way to use our players. Because Justin Mapp and Sinisa Ubiparipovic, being two of our most skilled soccer players, don’t have the rhythm to defend the way the coach wants.

When looking the forwards options, with Justin Braun with a mild injury, Andrew Wegner absent and Fucito traded we might see Eddy Sebrango playing at least 10 min tomorrow.

Here a video after the training.

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. 

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