When forwards Matías Cóccaro and Josef Martinez signed with CF Montreal, they were expected to contribute offensively and they did. But in their absence, who will take care of scoring goals?
The Bleu-blanc-noir are used to seeing their infirmary fill up little by little at the start of the season, but when injuries affect a particular position – and the attack in general – there would be reason to worry.
“I’m not a doctor,” head coach Laurent Courtois warned Friday before his team’s practice at the Nutrilait Centre. He was still able to provide updates on the many injuries plaguing his group.
First, Cóccaro is expected to be sidelined for eight to 10 weeks. The Uruguayan, who has three goals and one assist this season, appeared to injure his right leg following a tackle by Luca Orellano in a 2-1 win over FC Cincinnati last Saturday.
Martínez, who replaced Cóccaro against FC Cincinnati and has two goals and three assists in 2024, was injured in training on Wednesday. In his case, the messages are a little more contradictory. The Venezuelan expects an early return to play while the Montreal team prefers caution.
One thing is certain, the two players will not be in uniform on Saturday evening, when CF Montreal (3-3-1) hosts Orlando City SC (2-3-2) at Saputo Stadium.
The attacking relief could have been provided by Kwadwo Opoku and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, but they have also been injured for over a month already.
Opoku injured his ankle in Dallas in the second game of the campaign on March 2. He has started running again on the pitch and is getting closer to a return to action. Vilsaint injured his knee against Inter Miami CF on March 10. He has been training this week and is just waiting to get back to full fitness to be used again.
In the meantime, it’s Montreal’s depth that will have to shine if they want to secure a second consecutive victory on Saturday. For Raheem Edwards, who won the MLS Cup with Toronto FC in 2017, that’s what separates the hopefuls from the contenders.
“We’re sad about the injuries, but it’s the next man up mentality. What makes a good team in MLS is depth, and we have a lot of that. I’ve been in some good teams and that’s always been the main thing. Everyone is capable of stepping up and I’m confident in our other forwards,” Edwards said.
Against FC Cincinnati, Ariel Lassiter was used higher up the pitch and eventually scored the game-winner. Sunusi Ibrahim and Mason Toye will likely be called upon to step up as well. Ibrahim has only played 90 minutes this season, but he has found the back of the net once. Toye has only played 27 minutes, but he has shown in the past that he has the ability to score.
For Courtois, the players have everything to gain from seizing the opportunity that will present itself to them during the next matches, but the work must be done in advance.
“When you have ambitions, you have to show it every day and not just in a match. We are trying with our staff to convince the players that we have to see it every day, in the preparation, in the recovery and in the way of putting ourselves in a position to win big. It is about knowing how you are going to react when you go on the field, and that does not happen overnight. If we have not done our homework in training during all these weeks, we will not see it in a match. We will have a little idea on Saturday,” explained the head coach.
A game of chess
What Courtois could also see on Saturday is an opponent who still has fresh in his mind the draw that CF Montreal snatched at the start of the season, at the Inter&Co Stadium.
Orlando got back on track after starting the season with a 0-3-1 record. Since then, they have not lost in their last three outings and are coming off a 3-2 victory in Washington.
Courtois expects a methodical match, but he is convinced that if his players impose their rhythm as they did against FC Cincinnati, positive results will follow.
“Orlando is a team that impresses me. I have a lot of respect for them, but I also know that our guys can do anything and are not afraid of anyone,” he insisted. “For our part, I expect to see what happened last week. In some way, they might want a little revenge. We have to be a little more unpredictable and attract them to areas where we have superiority. It will be a game of chess on the field, but it will also be war.”
CF Montreal head coach says Dominic Iankov suffered a “small relapse” of his hamstring injury, but feels good. He’ll need to get back into shape and rhythm before he can return to action.
