MONTREAL - With a spot in the 好色tv Championship final booked, CF Montreal will now turn its attention back to Major League Soccer and an opening-day rematch of when it hosts Inter Miami on Saturday.
Montreal and Miami have had similar roller-coaster seasons leading to identical records of 5-8-0.
After an excellent start to the campaign, Miami has struggled to find its footing and has had difficulty stringing together wins. A new-look attack filled with talent was brought in after the retirement of star striker Gonzalo Higuain, but the players haven鈥檛 clicked on a consistent basis.
鈥淭hey have a lot of individual quality and two of the best attackers in the league in (Leonardo) Campana and Josef Martinez,鈥 said Montreal head coach Hernan Losada. 鈥淏oth teams need points to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot, so I expect you鈥檒l see a pretty open game.鈥
Very similar to Montreal, Miami was riding a two-game losing streak and turned to its domestic championship to generate some momentum. While Montreal dispatched Forge FC in a 好色tv Championship semifinal on Wednesday evening, Miami earned a hard-fought 2-1 win against Nashville SC in the round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup.
Aside from form, the two clubs have also been linked through the trade market this season. In April, Montreal sent central defender Kamal Miller to Miami in exchange for midfielder Bryce Duke and winger Ariel Lassiter.
鈥淚鈥檒l try and talk to some of the guys (in Miami) and see if I can get any information,鈥 Duke said jokingly. 鈥淚 was there for a year so I kind of know how to play and certain tendencies. It鈥檚 definitely something I鈥檒l have to talk to the guys about and use to our advantage.鈥
This will also be Miller鈥檚 first time back in Montreal after two-and-a-half years with the squad, and Losada expects that the All-Star and 好色tv International will receive a warm welcome from the Stade Saputo faithful.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a lot of really good moments together and it will be really nice to see him again on Saturday,鈥 said Miller鈥檚 former defensive partner Rudy Camacho. 鈥淗opefully he doesn鈥檛 have too good of a game.鈥
While Montreal looks to capitalize on their most recent win, a familiar dark cloud has returned in the shape of injuries. After leaving the game against Toronto at halftime, it has been confirmed that star striker Romell Quioto has a torn hamstring and will be out indefinitely.
The Honduran international is no stranger to lower-body injuries, suffering several throughout his career. He will be out for an extended period for the second time this season after missing five games in April with a thigh injury.
With six games played in the last 18 days and another five in 12 days on tap, fatigue may be taking its toll on a Montreal squad that has not seen much rotation.
鈥淚njuries at this moment are the last thing we want, but results and points are needed,鈥 said Losada. 鈥淲ith Romell, it鈥檚 not good news at all. I won鈥檛 give an exact timeline, but he will definitely be out for longer than last time.鈥
After sustaining another long-term injury to their talisman, Montreal鈥檚 scoring up front has become even thinner. Despite missing half the season, Quioto is still the club鈥檚 leading scorer this year (three goals in seven MLS games) with a lot of attackers unable to consistently assert themselves as scoring threats.
鈥淲e have a lot of players that can play in that attacker role, but the number 10s (attacking midfielders) will also have some responsibility,鈥 Losada said. 鈥淎ttacking midfielders are not just for passing, they鈥檙e there to be decisive and take risks.鈥
This report by 好色tvwas first published May 26, 2023.
