CF Montréal winless, but not desperate, Lappalainen says
If three successive losses to begin the season hasn't led to some desperation for CF Montréal, according to Lassi Lappalainen, what will it take?
A fourth defeat Saturday (4 p.m., TVA Sports, TSN 690.ca, 91.9 Sports) when the team plays Atlanta United at Mercedes-benz Stadium, in front of a potentially hostile crowd of 50,000 spectators?
“Desperate is definitely not the right word,” Lappalainen said Friday. “Of course, it's not the start we wanted, but there's (still) a lot of games. I know what we can do. For sure, we're going to show it in the season.”
Fresh from being eliminated by Cruz Azul in the Champions League quarter-final stage on Wednesday, CFM must recover quickly and hope for an upset before its twoweek international break.
Winning on the road in MLS is never easy, especially for a club that has stumbled out of the gate. Compounding its 0-3 record, CFM has struggled at both ends of the pitch, scoring only twice while conceding eight goals.
The side's defensive play was one of its trademarks last season, when it surrendered an average of 1.29 goals per game. And the back line figured to be reinforced with the addition of Canadian international Alistair Johnston from Nashville, S.C., along with the return of veteran French defender Rudy Camacho.
Manager Wilfried Nancy has stated the goals conceded are largely avoidable, while Johnston, following a 4-1 drubbing against New York City FC, said the club allowed too many easy goals, including one in the seventh minute.
“We know it's never easy in Atlanta, but we're going there with the same ambitions,” Camacho said. “And we need points. We'll have to be mentally strong and respond.”
Atlanta has a 2-1 record and will clearly be the fresher of the two sides. Both of United's victories have come at home. Dating to last season, the club's riding a nine-match unbeaten run. The 5-Stripes were 13-9-12 overall in 2021, including 9-3-5 at home.
“It's a club that attacks,” Nancy said. “They force the opponent to defend instead of attack. Maybe, mentally, they're also more ready to play at home? One thing's certain — historically, it's always difficult for opposing clubs. We're going there to do something good.”
While the addition of 37-year-old striker Kei Kamara should eventually pay dividends offensively for CFM, the attack would be augmented by the return of American Mason Toye. The forward suffered an adductor injury in late January and was expected to miss four to six weeks. Seven weeks later, Toye is still sidelined indefinitely. Perhaps he'll return in early April, although he'll require time to regain his form.
The 0-3 start is among the worst for the franchise since it joined MLS in 2012. That season, the club started 0-4-1, the draw coming in the second match. The last time the team started with three defeats was 2014, going seven games without a win. The following season, the squad had a loss and two draws en route to a 0-3-2 launch.
Camacho said any time a match is played in front of a huge crowd — even in a hostile environment — it provides adrenalin and excitement. And, although his team can concentrate its full attention on its MLS season, Nancy still would have preferred advancing in the Champions League. “It's frustrating,” he said. “We could have had better results. Now it's MLS. And we're going to focus on MLS.”