Two points away from first place

CF Montreal used their last home game to offer the 19,619 fans in attendance at Saputo Stadium, another full house, a 1-0 win over DC United.

• Also read: CF Montreal: Nancy is not going too fast

James Pantemis had to make some big saves to get his shutout and Gabriele Corbo saved on the goal line.

The only goal came in the 41st minute. Zachary Brault-Guillard’s low cross was deflected into his goal by Donovan Pines in the middle of a slide. An own goal was allowed.

Pines conceded a penalty late in the game by pushing Ismaël Koné, but David Ochoa blocked Joaquin Torres’ shot.

Despite playing a man down since Pines was sent off after fouling Koné, DC scared the hosts by scoring with less than five minutes remaining.

Luckily for the Montrealers, there was an offside.

As we’ve mentioned many times, CF Montreal are secure in second place in the Eastern Conference, but that win combined with a painful 4-0 loss for the Philadelphia Union to Charlotte keeps things interesting for last weekend.

In fact, the Montrealers now have 62 points, two fewer than Union.

Another level of interest is that Toronto FC will be the Union’s last opponents at home next Sunday, while Bleu-Blanc-Noir will visit Miami.

So Wilfried Nancy’s men will be playing for something in the final game of the season, not a playoff spot, but first place. It’s refreshing.

Also note that the team has an enviable record of 10-1-3 in their last fourteen games.

Quito injured

The club announced ahead of the game that Romell Quioto is no longer in uniform due to a hamstring injury. This leads us to an observation, he often returns hurt from his stints in the Honduran selection.

It is to be hoped that this injury is not serious as he is the team’s top scorer this season with 15 goals in 30 games. His presence will be crucial in the playoffs.

Another Stein, Joel Waterman, was injured at the end of the game after a heavy contact with Christian Benteke. He finished the game but collapsed to the ground at the final whistle and was treated.

direct current

Guardian:

D.Ochoa.

Defender:

V. Palsson (replaced by C. Odoi-Atsem in the 68th minute), D. Pines, S. Birnbaum, S. Guediri.

Surroundings:

C. Durkin, S. Djeffal (replaced by J. Alfaro in the 81st minute), J. Hopkins (replaced by R. Morrison in the 64th minute), M. Berry (replaced by T. Ku- Dipietro replaced) , M. Rodriguez (replaced by K. Smith in the 69th minute).

Attacker:

C. Benteke.

Montreal

Guardian:

J. Pantemis.

Defender:

J Waterman, R Camacho, G Corbo.

Surroundings:

L. Lappalainen (replaced by J. Kwizera in the 46th minute), M. Choinière (replaced by S. Piette in the 46th minute), V. Wanyama, I. Koné (replaced by R. Zouhir in the 83rd minute ), Z Brault-Guillard (replaced by A. Johnston in the 69th minute).

Attacker:

M. Toye (replaced by K. Kamara in the 62nd minute), J. Torres.

target

Montreal: Pines (41st – in his net) DC UNITED: none

boxing

MONTREAL: None DC UNITED: Hopkins (51st), Pines (79th-red), Benteke (90th + 4)

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Photo agency QMI, Thierry Laforce

Ishmael Kone

8 / 10 | Ishmael Kone

• Very restless in midfield, he sniffed the gaps between DC’s lines. He conceded a penalty.

7.5/10 | James Pantemis

• He wasn’t busy, but he made some big saves. He took the shutout.

7.5/10 | Gabrielle Corbo

• Another very good excursion; he was really very interesting, this young man. He kept a goal on the line.

7.5/10 | Rudy Camacho

• A calm and serene performance with lots of control.

7.5/10 | Victor Wanyama

• He offered a reassuring presence in midfield and was very stable.

7.5/10 | Joel Wasserman

• A match of the usual quality in which he doesn’t make any big mistakes and plays fairly.

7.5/10 | Mathieu Choiniere

• Very energetic and often in the right place for interesting services.

7.5/10 | Lassi Lappalainen

• He was combative in his lane, both offensively and defensively. As he was back from injury, Nancy saved him and he only played the first half.

7.5/10 | Joaquin Torres

• Dynamically, he used his speed to disrupt the opponent in the last third. He missed a penalty.

7 / 10 | Jojea Kwizera

• He sets pace on his lane and tries to liven up the attack.

7 / 10 | Zachary Brault Guillard

• A confident game. He made the cross that led to the goal that opened the gate.

6/10 | Mason Toye

• Due to a lack of self-confidence, he has lost his bearings and is struggling to make the right decision: his entire game is affected.

6/10 | Kei Kamara

• Twice he missed golden chances in front of an almost empty goal at the very end of the game. The happiness he never misses.

praise of persistence

We had to be patient, very patient, to collect post-game comments from Wilfried Nancy, who appeared before the media more than thirty minutes after the game ended.

If it took him so long to get to the press room, it was because he was addressing his men in the dressing room.

“I took the time to talk to my group, it was important to talk to my players to tell them what they’ve been up to since the beginning. »

“We’re going to make the playoffs, but it’s only four games. The most important thing is what we do over 34 games and our consistency. Nineteen wins in MLS is strong. »

killer instinct

Since consistency is what counts, we can point out that the team often finished matches a little tight and were able to bend down without breaking. That was the case again on Saturday night as DC pressed to level the game when the locals should have folded the game long before then.

“We were able to keep the score, it’s not easy, even though they were only ten at the end,” emphasized Ismaël Koné. There are elements in the game that need to be improved, we need to finish the game much earlier in the second half. »

“The game could have ended 4-0 if we had been sharp. These are aspects we will work on. »

With this win, CF Montreal is just two points closer to the Philadelphia Union and first place in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia in the lead

“We don’t focus on Philly, we focus on us. Maybe my teammates knew they lost, but I didn’t, I preferred to concentrate on my game,” emphasized Koné.

However, after Koné addressed the media, Rudy Camacho indicated that he took good note of the situation.

“We have a chance so we will play hard. We’re going to play first place in Miami hoping they do [l’Union] perform poorly against Toronto. »

Romell Quioto was out of uniform with a hamstring injury. Arriving near the press box, he seemed at ease. Wilfried Nancy indicated that he didn’t know any more at the moment.

“He injured himself during the selection. We wait to see a bit. I hope it doesn’t take too long and he’ll be available for the first game of the playoffs. »

As for Joel Waterman, who was injured at the end of the game, Nancy mentioned that he took a hit, that he had a bruise, but that he didn’t expect it to be bad.