Everything on the line with three games to go
It would be easy for the Montreal Impact’s players to feel sorry for themselves following a tough loss at the hands of D.C. United, last Saturday at Audi Field. A win against Ben Olsen’s men would have put the Impact eight points clear of the Washington team with three games to go.
Instead, Wayne Rooney and his band of men are now just two points away from the Impact, setting up the tightest of races for the sixth and last playoff spot.
But fortunately for les Montréalais, feeling sorry for themselves isn’t something they’re intent on doing at the moment.
“We have everything to play for, and it’s time for all of us to show who we are,” said defender Daniel Lovitz. “Everyone needs to show up, myself included, and put everything out there. We have to win these games.”
Despite D.C. having two games in hand on Rémi Garde’s team, these are games it’ll have to win if it hopes to surpass the Bleu-blanc-noir and jump into that sixth and final playoff spot. The Impact, on its end, is intent on controlling what it can, which for now is its three remaining games, all against Eastern Conference opposition.
“The more pressure we could put on them by staying ahead of them in the standings, the tougher it gets for them,” said goalkeeper Evan Bush. “The door is not shut on us, and it would be ridiculous to think otherwise. We still have the points that D.C. needs. We can’t look at it in a negative wat yet. We’re in a position now where we continue to need points.”
Staying true to themselves
A 5-0 loss isn’t pretty on paper, but the final score wasn’t indicative of the Bleu-blanc-noir’s overall performance, Saturday night in the American capital. The team was trailing just 1-0 at the half after dominating the opening 45 and looked set to repeat the same type of performance upon returning from the locker room.
At the end, the Impact had attempted 25 shots, as opposed to D.C.’s 10, and had 61% of possession.
“Sometimes, things don’t go your way, just like the game in D.C., but you need to use that as fuel to figure out what needs to be addressed,” said striker Quincy Amarikwa. “The goal is always to get the guys to focus on what we think will be necessary to win the game this weekend.”
That game will be against the fourth-placed Columbus Crew SC, who will also be looking for a positive result to keep the surging Philadelphia Union, now just one point away from the Black & Gold in the standings, at bay. Not an easy matchup in any regard, but head coach Rémi Garde is confident his team can bounce back at Stade Saputo.
“I know my group very well. I know we have a quality group, and that there are leaders on this team. Quite a few, actually. I’m very confident in the reaction my team will have come Saturday.”
