The Bleu-blanc-noir plays its second game of 2018
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Montreal Impact continues its 2018 season with a trip to Ohio, this Saturday at 1pm, to face the Columbus Crew SC at MAPFRE Stadium (TVA Sports, CTV, TSN).
“The Crew is a great team with players that have been playing together for a long time,” said Montreal Impact head coach Rémi Garde. “It will be a difficult game for us. I think we need to be less theoretic at times. The players have absorbed the tactical information well, but soccer is a game that needs individual initiative. I would rather see my players act than react.”
Chasing points on the road
Montreal will be looking to put last Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Vancouver behind them and add points to the bank before its home opener at Olympic Stadium. Despite the result, positivity stemmed from the team’s overall play, whether in its defensive rigour or its willingness going forward at times. The challenge in Columbus will be to extend these moments in order to control the Crew’s attacking outbreaks, all the while keeping the Black & Yellow on their toes defensively.
“We know it’s a good team, but if we aren’t creative and we don’t let ourselves go, we’ll have a hard time creating chances,” said midfielder Saphir Taïder. “We need to make sure we enjoy ourselves and give it our all, so we have no regrets after the game.”
The Impact is scheduled to play six of its first eight games on the road to start the season, which can be a delicate situation, but the team’s spirit and fitness are allowing the players to look at this game against their Ohio rivals in a positive light.
“There always seems to be two or three teams that start the season with most of their games on the road,” said goalkeeper Evan Bush. “If you prepare and go into the start of the season with the right mindset, it could be very beneficial. I think our team spirit is good thanks to our collective block and our defensive structure. The mentality we showed throughout training camp is helping us for these first few away games. It’s up to us to get something out of them.”
An unwelcoming stadium
In nine games at MAPFRE Stadium, the Montreal Impact has only amassed five points since it began in MLS in 2012, with an overall record of five wins, eight losses and three draws against the Crew. These meetings featuring the Bleu-blanc-noir and Columbus are typically highlighted with numerous goals, both teams having scored 48 times in 16 games.
Nacho Piatti is regularly successful against the Crew SC, earning five goals and two assists in seven games. If Evan Bush plays just 49 minutes of the game, he’ll pass 10,000 minutes in MLS and will become the third Impact player, and first goalkeeper, to reach that milestone.
Upcoming games
The Montreal Impact will play its home opener on Saturday, March 17, at Olympic Stadium, against Toronto FC (TVA Sports, CTV, TSN, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690 – TICKETS), before the international break. The Bleu-blanc-noir will then be back in action to face the Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, March 31 at 10pm (TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690).
