MONTREAL – Almost a year ago, on August 21, 2013, the Montreal Impact fell 1-0 to CD Heredia in Guatemala City in the CONCACAF Champions League Group 5 – where they finished second to the San Jose Earthquakes. That night, three players made their first team’s starting XI for the first time.
Wandrille Lefèvre was one of these three – Blake Smith, currently on loan at Indy Eleven, and the injured Adrian Lopez were the others. Lefèvre, now 24, has since won 12 starts in all competitions, his most recent a terrific performance in Saturday’s 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire – the Impact supporters voted him man of the match.
The outcome of that Heredia game can’t have been a great experience. But it was experience nonetheless, experience that Lefèvre and his teammates can use to churn out a different result this Wednesday when they face CCL Group 3 opponents FAS in San Salvador.
“I think you have to consider that, last year, we were many youngsters – and I’m not criticizing the club, not at all; it was a decision, and I’m glad I played that game – thrown all at the same time in that environment, and it may not have been easy for us,” Lefèvre told reporters last weekend. “It had been a while since we’d played, and all of a sudden, we were faced with that environment.”
Impact forward Marco Di Vaio, who played 90 minutes against Chicago, has suggested that the entire team will travel to El Salvador – Montreal won’t return home before facing New York Red Bulls, coincidentally their other CCL Group 3 opponents, in MLS play on Saturday.
Lefèvre thus assumes a “more balanced” lineup against FAS than last year against Heredia.
“There’ll be veterans who can calm things down, and I think we have to stay calm and not panic over what’s in front of us,” Lefèvre said.
The context is also much different from last season, when Montreal's priority was qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs. Montreal are dead last in the Supporters Shield standings but top of CCL Group 3 after defeating FAS 1-0 at home. They could put pressure on New York with a result in El Salvador.
Nothing to lose in MLS, everything to gain in CCL. For Lefèvre, Montreal have to “stop being afraid” and “impose our style.”
“I think we’ll see a totally different team in terms of intensity, of the physical impact they’ll enforce on us,” Lefèvre said of FAS. “We know, with teams down there in Central America, that it’s a very difficult environment. We’re expecting that, given what it was in Guatemala last year. We almost got out of there with a point, but we’re clearly going for three. We’ll see. That’s why the win [on Saturday] is important: for confidence. For confidence in what we can do.”
