CF Montreal are well aware of the motivation that comes with being the underdog, so it’s no surprise to see them wary of Atlanta United heading into their Eastern Conference playoff game.
It may not have been the confrontation that was planned a month ago, but it will ultimately be these two teams that will do battle on Tuesday night at Stade Saputo. The stakes are already known: a best-of-three series against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in the first round.
Six weeks ago, the Bleu-blanc-noir probably struggled to imagine themselves in eighth place in the East, hosting an opponent for a playoff duel. A 5-1-1 record in the last seven games of the season, however, capped a major turnaround.
Despite everything, Montrealers are not ready to fully accept their role as favourites.
“With the streak we’re in right now, and the fact that it’s a home game, it’s normal to consider ourselves the favourites, but we’re not going into this game with the mentality that it’s going to be easy. We’re taking this game very seriously. We want to keep the underdog mentality because it’s worked well for us,” midfielder Caden Clark said Monday before his team’s practice.
Atlanta United ‘comes back from afar’
CF Montreal’s (11-13-10) efforts to keep that underdog tag are commendable, but looking at their schedule, we see that the Georgia squad has recently come from a little further back.
After losing to Montreal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 2, Atlanta United (10-14-10) was on the verge of elimination. A win over the New York Red Bulls gave hope and a few favorable scenarios were needed on the famous “decision day”.
Against all odds, a gutsy win in Orlando, combined with an inexplicable loss by DC United in front of its home fans, turned a 10% chance of making the playoffs into a visit to Saputo Stadium.
Even though the Montrealers’ streak is impressive, this end of the season for Atlanta United has caught the attention of head coach Laurent Courtois.
“They congratulated us in Atlanta and wished us good luck. They were about to give up, so to speak, and they took a big slap in the face when we won at their home. In the end, they find themselves here. I think they have very good momentum. Plus, they won in Orlando. We have to be careful,” said Courtois.
His men have won both of their meetings with Atlanta United this season. In fact, this triumph at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the first in the club’s history there, proved rather crucial for the future.
But as many like to say: “anything can happen in the series”. Courtois fully agrees and believes that past results no longer mean anything.
“I can’t get into that. It doesn’t mean anything at all that we won twice against them,” he insisted. “For me, they’re one of the best teams in the league. They’ve come a long way and it’s now a series game. We forget the past. It’s a blank page, it’s D-Day, the moment.”
“Stay focused”
The head coach can still hope that his offensive trio of Clark, Josef Martinez and Bryce Duke continues their momentum from recent games. The three players have combined for 11 goals and seven assists in CF Montreal’s last seven outings.
Martinez, who notably won the MLS Cup in Atlanta, scored both goals for his team against his former team three weeks ago. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Venezuelan step up his game again on Tuesday, having played 10 career playoff games.
“When you have a little bit of history against a team, there’s always that extra motivation. We saw that in Atlanta. He scored two goals and that game meant a lot to him,” Duke said. “When you add those little things, it gives the team and him a little bit of confidence.”
The Bleu-blanc-noir players are obviously expecting a tough clash, during which the details will make all the difference.
“When you look at playoff soccer or the playoffs in general, the teams lower in the standings have to find ways to win. You have to be at your best in those moments and execute the basics. That’s what it’s all about in these games. You just have to work and give it your all. It doesn’t take talent to do that. We have to stay focused as a team and go get that result,” Clark said.
“The playoffs are a different story. Especially when you get to the knockout stages. Every little mistake counts, every pass counts, every detail counts. When a team gets to the playoffs on a hot streak, they can go far. I can’t wait to see what we can do,” Duke added.
During the one-game suspension in midfield Nathan Saliba, defender Joel Waterman took over. Now that the Quebecer is back, it will be interesting to see if Waterman will take his place in central defense. It was Gabriele Corbo who was used Saturday night, along with Fernando Alvarez and George Campbell.
Courtois did not dare to speculate on his training or what changes he might make, saying he and his staff would “evaluate all of that.”
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