CF Montreal drew 1-1 with FC Cincinnati at Stade Saputo on Wednesday evening.
However, this result against the team sitting at the top of the Major League Soccer (MLS) standings is disappointing considering head coach Hernan Losada’s club conceded a goal in the final moments of second-half stoppage time.
Goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois made a mistake, allowing the visitors to benefit from a penalty. It was an opportunity that Luciano Acosta did not miss. Cincinnati’s star player hit the target for the 16th time in 2023.
The Montreal team has not been able to feel the joy of victory in the last four games and will therefore have to wait until they can celebrate their tenth victory in front of their fans in the regular season this year.
“You have to play a game until the end,” said Losada, whose comments were reported in a press release from CF Montreal.
“But I’m very happy with the team’s performance. We played against a team with a lot of quality. Cincinnati was very organized defensively. The players who came on in the second half did their job. But there are still five games to play. We are still in eighth place. It’s up to us to maintain this rank.”
In today’s duel it was a successful Kwadwo Opoku who opened the scoring. The 22-year-old hit the mark with Bleu-Blanc-Noir’s first shot on goal in the 53rd minute.
The one nicknamed “Mahala” shot from a distance with his left foot. His shot hit the post and deceived goalkeeper Roman Celentano. It was Opoku’s third goal in 10 games since the La Belle Province team was acquired by Los Angeles CF in July.
“The movement of our players allowed us to create chances and score tonight. During the half-time break, the coach realized which formation was best suited to achieve this. It feels good to be on the scoresheet. I’m not happy with my numbers at the moment. I want to score points in every game. I just try to do my best. I try to stay positive. Mentality is everything. “At the end of the day, we are human and we learn every day,” Opoku analyzed.
Despite his mistake at the end of the game, Sirois made four saves.
This game also marked the return of midfielder Victor Wanyama to the Losada lineup. The 32-year-old veteran had not taken the field since the League Cup game against Pumas UNAM on July 22nd. The Kenyan played the first 83 minutes against Cincinnati and completed 80% of his passes.
CF Montreal will look to return to victory next Saturday when they visit Atlanta United FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.