The Leagues Cup offers soccer fans the opportunity to witness unprecedented clashes between teams from Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX. CF Montreal open the tournament by meeting Pumas UNAM, a club almost unknown to them.
These two teams have never met before. The Pumas reached the final of the CONCACAF Champions League in 2022 but are considered a middle-tier team in the Mexican league.
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They could have some surprises in store for CF, who haven’t met a Liga MX rival since Cruz Azul in the 2022 UCL Quarterfinals. At Stade Saputo, Montreal must impose its own terms.
“They are a team that likes to go forward and have players up front who are good in one-on-one situations. They are very dangerous and direct. “We have to take responsibility defensively,” said winger Ariel Lassiter in a press conference on Friday. On the other hand, we are at home, we have home field advantage. We have to be the attackers in this game.”
“Playing against Mexican teams is not something we do regularly,” added Mathieu Choinière. It will be a new style of play. It’s very important and we want to do our best in this competition.
No changes
This break in the MLS season is welcome but a good performance against the Pumas on Saturday and DC United on Wednesday will be essential to maintain a good travel pace.
“We want to remain competitive and show a good level against the Liga MX teams. “It’s important to stay competitive because we don’t want to go two weeks without a competitive match,” said head coach Hernan Losada, who has no plans to make any changes to his squad.
So we could see a line-up similar to last Saturday’s when CF Montreal defeated Charlotte FC 2-0. Jonathan Sirois should also end up in the net.
lasting memories
Choinière, he returned to full form after playing in the MLS All-Star Game. The stars of the Garber scene lost 5-0 to Arsenal, but the Quebecer still has only fond memories.
“It was a great experience that I will remember for the rest of my days. Playing against Arsenal, a team I’ve watched since I was a kid, is huge,” he said.
“I felt good. It’s sure that I had some extra stress from the Arsenal game, but I came back in my game […] I tried to give 100% and help the team do my best.”
Choinière was the only CF Montreal representative in this mid-season classic. He came on as a substitute in the 68th minute and enjoyed around half an hour of play.