Good day,
We have started our second half of the season last Wednesday. I have to admit that we have had a difficult first half of the season. Actually we had a good start by losing only one game in the first six, but afterwards we had a tough time physically. We played many games in a short period of time and we were tired. We played many tough matches, especially against AC Milan and Fiorentina. Our results in the Nutrilite Canadian championship were a disappointment and it was difficult to accept.
In the first half of the season we lost many games where we were the better team. We play every game to win and I feel that we were unlucky. I believe we are now in a phase where things are falling into place.
To help the team, we have made some changes to the lineup recently. We added players that want to win and are proud to wear the Montreal Impact jersey. We based our decisions on the team's ambition and motivation. Ali Gerba and Antonio Ribeiro are good additions to the team, as well as Wesley Charles that will bring a defensive presence. We hope that they will do well with the team.
Based on weaknesses during the first half of the season, we have some points to work on. That is why we are currently working on team defense. We have mainly played with a diamond shape midfield but we were giving up too much space to our opponents. We are working on fixing this point. Also, we have not converted enough off set plays. This is also a point that we are working on during training sessions. We also would like to be quicker and stronger on transition plays.
At the half way point, we have played against all the teams in the league. I can say that games between Montreal and Carolina have been the best matches. Excluding the Impact, I believe that the clubs in the league that are strong this year are Portland, Austin, Vancouver and Carolina. We have to be ready for the next games against these opponents. They will be matches where the intensity will be high.
For the last half of the season, we have set some short and long term team objectives. Starting with approaching the last 15 games as championship finals. Our long term objective is to reach the playoffs and once we get there, anything can happen. As was seen last year, the league final was played between the 5th and 7th placed teams.
