On Wednesday, the Montreal Impact fell victim to three Designated Players on their A-game. Still, they’re far from resigned: there are lessons to be learned from this.
Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco all scored as Toronto FC beat Montreal 3-1. Their quality was an undeniable factor in the Impact’s loss.
But compactness was a feature of Montreal’s run to the CONCACAF Champions League Final, and it was nowhere to be found in Montreal’s game in Toronto. Going into their second straight away game Saturday night at the Philadelphia Union (7 pm ET, MLS LIVE), proper team shape is a priority, as it was before their date with Orlando last weekend – and they won that one, 2-0, albeit at home.
“We have to try and be more compact, because in transition, if you look at the first goal that [Toronto] scored, a pass is made out of the back, it gets to Giovinco on the edge of the area, and the next pass is for Bradley, who scores,” center back Wandrille Lefèvre told reporters. “The second goal’s the same: Bradley recovers a ball deep in his zone, one pass, and Altidore’s in position to score, which he does.
“It’s in transition that we have to be better, and it’s paradoxical, because offensive transitions are also where we're good,” Lefèvre continued. “There’s where we hurt opponents, generally speaking. We’re good in offensive transitions, but we have to improve our defensive transitions.”
Efficiency in front of goal was another trait of the Impact’s CCL journey. At BMO Field, Montreal didn’t create a ton of chances, but they found a couple of clear-cut opportunities that, Lefèvre thought, could have “stolen the game” for Montreal.
The Impact conceded on transitions on Wednesday. But, as is their habit – especially away from home –, their chances came that way, too. It’s a recipe that may well work in Philadelphia.
“[The Union] struggle in transition,” forward Jack McInerney said. “We play our best soccer when we’re kind of sitting back and, when they put numbers forward, we have good one-on-one guys and we can counter. They’re going to take the game to us, being at home, so if they’re throwing guys forward, we can sit back and get two or three goals on the counter.”
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But this week, Philadelphia have proven that, despite their ups and downs, they are no pushovers. They earned an impressive 1-0 win against the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday, and like Montreal, they have won four of their last seven.
While the Union will take the field full of confidence, Montreal’s McInerney will do so with a point to prove. The former Union man has only had one opportunity to play at PPL Park again, last August in a 2-1 Impact loss.
“I haven't gotten a chance to score against them yet, so I think that, if I got that opportunity, that would make me pretty happy,” McInerney said. “But at the end of the day, we're here for three points. Philly have been struggling this season, and I think it’s a good chance for us to get some on the road here.”
