RICHMOND, VA – FC Montreal got their first point on the road this season with a 0-0 draw against the Richmond Kickers Saturday, at City Stadium.
Following a 2-0 loss midweek, FC Montreal bounced back against an Eastern top tier team.
“I’m glad because we wanted to send a message to the players after Wednesday’s game,” said head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. "They needed this sense of urgency. And now, they were great and for the first time this season, we witnessed a team that can control a game on the road at this level and we should have won. It’s great satisfaction to see the way they reacted.”
Winger Fabio Morelli, who was used as a forward for most of the game, created a few scoring chances. In the 7th minute, getting the ball near the box, Morelli fired a shot that missed the net by a few inches. Before halftime, Morelli did it again. Chasing a long, deep ball, he controlled it in the box before a defender knocked him off balance and his shot went of the side netting.
“The defence had a great game and it helped us create opportunities offensively,” said Fabio Morelli. “We had many chances, now we have to work on our finishing.”
In the second half, the Bleu-blanc-noir continued to threaten. In the 60th minute, winger Frédéric Lajoie-Gravelle challenged the defender before giving the ball to defender Janouk Charbonneau, who overlapped on the right. Charbonneau’s shot touched the outside of the post before going out of play.
As soon as he got on the field, Mastanabal Kacher pushed offensively. In the 77th minute, he created space in front of before taking a curving shot with his left foot, hitting the crossbar.
The Kickers also had a few opportunities, but Montreal’s defence and goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau closed the door on their opponent. In the 65th minute, George Davis IV overlapped on the left before receiving the ball from his teammate. Alone in front of goal, Crépeau jumped and saved the shot to keep his team in the game.
“We didn’t commit many individual mistakes and we got a good result,” said Eullaffroy. “Today, they proved they can be solid and reliable for a full game.”
FC Montreal will play its next game on the road against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday, June 20, at 7pm, at Highmark Stadium.
LINEUPS
FC Montreal: Maxime Crépeau, Frank Zoue (Zachary Sukunda 77’), Chakib Hocine, Mélé Temguia, Janouk Charbonneau, Nazim Belguendouz (Philippe Lincourt-Joseph 89’), Marco Dominguez, Frédéric Lajoie-Gravelle, Zakaria Messoudi (Mastanabal Kacher 75’), Alessandro Riggi (Victor Ndiaye 81’), Fabio Morelli
MLS players
Richmond Kickers: Ryan Taylor, Stephen Basso, Braeden Troyer (Eli Garner 33’), Hugh Roberts, William Yomby, George Davis IV, Samuel Asante, Michael Callahan, Matthew Delicate, Jason Yeisley (Nate Shiffman 80’), Brian Ownby (Sascha Goerres 72’)
CAUTIONS
RIC: Samuel Asante
