Far from Major League Soccer (MLS) and its many early-season pitfalls, CF Montreal regained some confidence by beating Vaughan Azzurri 2-0 in the round of 16 of the season at Saputo Stadium on Tuesday.
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The Bleu-Blanc-Noir have just one win in seven games in 2023. A duel against the semi-professional team from Ontario was therefore welcome. He had no trouble finishing off his opponent of the day by scoring two goals in five minutes in the first half.
“We have to keep trying and if it doesn’t work, we have to try again,” head coach Hernan Losada told a press conference. This is the most important thing in order not to lose trust. We have to stay true to our style of play. I really liked the ball circulation today, it was much faster.
Sean Rea opened the scoring in the 31st minute with his first goal for CF Montreal. On a corner kick, the Quebec midfielder accepted the deflection of Gabriele Corbo’s head before firing his second touch. His shot in the bottom left corner overcame Gianluca Catalano.
“I think it will help us with confidence. We’ve had a pretty difficult start to the season and it’s good that we’re going to this game in the middle of the week to gain confidence,” said Rea.
Soon after, newcomer Ariel Lassiter served up a perfect cross to speedy Sunusi Ibrahim, who doubled the lead.
It was the USA’s Logan Ketterer who went on the net for CF Montreal. For him it was the first start since his arrival in the metropolis of Québec last year. Goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois enjoyed a free evening.
It’s already a major challenge that will stand in the way of Losada’s men in the neighborhood. Toronto FC, recipients of a first-round bye, host their arch-rivals May 9-11 at BMO Field.
In the MLS, Montreal will host the visit of the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.