2023-09-17 01:46:00
Summary
All the stars seemed aligned for the magic to work. Welcomed by the public with thunderous applause for his first minutes of play in just over four months, Romell Quioto in a way had the fate of CF Montreal at his fingertips.
The Honduran striker, who has been sidelined since May 13 due to a hamstring injury, was in an excellent position to give his team the goal they were unable to score. despite a staggering number of chances obtained so far.
But Quito’s free kick taken just moments after entering the scene in the 77th minute was blocked by the Chicago Fire wall and the Impact ultimately had to settle for a bittersweet 0-0 draw. , Saturday evening, in front of a packed house of 19,619 spectators.
CF Montreal still occupies 8th place in the Eastern Association with now 36 points in 28 games, one point ahead of its closest pursuer, DC United, who also drew this evening against Charlotte. In short, things won’t change too much in the standings until Montreal plays their next game against Cincinnati on Wednesday at Stade Saputo.
“I felt like I was in a movie with the free kick and the crowd going wild. I was sure that Romell was going to score,” admitted goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois after the game at the end of which he signed his 11th shutout since the start of the season, a team record.
“The result is not frustrating, it even feels good, because the most difficult thing in this sport is to create chances,” said head coach Hernán Losada. Tonight there was only one team on the field. It’s just a matter of lack of finishing.
“The defense (which could count on the return of Joel Waterman to the lineup) did very well with and without the ball. All the players were very focused. But I repeat, you just have to find a way to score goals. You have to stay positive. »
However, Losada looked discouraged after George Campbell’s headed ball hit the crossbar in the 23rd minute. It was then the 5th real chance to score for CF Montreal, who had stormed the Fire territory from the 1st minute of play thanks to Zachary Brault-Guillard, who had a very strong match, as well as to Nathan Saliba.
ContentId(3.1431065):CF Montréal: Blatant lack of opportunism; 11th shutout for Sirois
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Fortunately, unlike other times earlier this season, the Impact was not caught up in its lack of opportunism, with the Fire getting their first shot in the direction of Sirois until the 45th minute. There was, however, a small period of uncertainty following the arrivals of Ariel Lassiter and Chinonso Offor in the 58th minute, with the visitors getting 3 chances in just 4 minutes but the additions of Bryce Duke and Quioto in the 77th brought back CF Montreal on the right path.
“It’s never easy to come into a match so late, but I just wanted to create chances and that’s what I succeeded,” Duke analyzed. Romell gave everything he had and he played really well. I now hope to have the opportunity to build real chemistry with him. »
“Quioto couldn’t play more than 15 minutes today, but that’s obviously very encouraging going into Wednesday night,” Losada added. He gave the team a second wind. »
If Quioto’s work has been scrutinized for obvious reasons, we should not forget the contribution of Duke, who obtained 4 shots on goal – his highest total since CF Montreal acquired his services from Inter Miami last April – in just 13 minutes of play.
“You have to be satisfied with our performance. We played well, we have to build on that, said Duke. You have to keep working hard in training and everything will eventually fall into place. »
The more cynical will respond that with only six games left in the regular schedule, it is about time that the players supposed to fill the net start scoring goals.
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