After Jonathan Sirois and Mathieu Choinière, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint is another Quebecer we could see at CF Montreal this season.
The 20-year-old had to wait but finally made his debut blue, white and black start against Toronto FC last Sunday. He didn’t score but made an excellent impression by creating several offensive chances.
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At a news conference on Thursday, head coach Hernan Losada paid tribute to the Montrealer offering him another tool in his box.
“In 2023, in this new world, there is no patience. Jules, he was patient. He worked and improved every week in terms of his physical ability, his mind and on the tactical level. That’s why he deserved to be in the starting XI against Toronto,” explained the Argentine.
Losada doesn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on Vilsaint. He has just played 131 minutes in Major League Soccer and the transition to the starting XI isn’t always easy.
“Personally, I’ve always seen myself as a game-changing player since the start of the season. I will continue to push that mentality,” said the main prospect, who doesn’t blame his trainer for letting him patiently deal with his problems for two-thirds of the season.
“The way I see it, they’ve been waiting for the right moment. It worked well. I’m glad they made me suffer a little, it changed my mentality,” admitted Vilsaint.
Show a better face
The forward is obviously keen on scoring his first goal and hopes to become a good finisher over time. His next chance could come against the New England Revolution at Stade Saputo on Saturday.
“It’s a top team coming to our stadium,” said defender Aaron Herrera. We know what quality they bring with them. We know what happened the last time we faced them. It’s going to be a big game for us, but not compared to this last meeting. We want to get closer to the playoffs, so every point we can get will be important.”
The Revs are Eastern Conference runners-up and defeated CF Montreal earlier in the year. On April 8th, they won 4-0 at Gillette Stadium, which left a bitter taste in the mouths of the crowd.
“We can’t dwell on this game for long, but of course we mustn’t forget it,” added Herrera. I think we’re a completely different team. We know each other better now.”
Montreal is eighth in the east with 32 points. He is six points behind Atlanta United and seventh place equates to direct qualification for the playoff tournament.