10 games left for the Impact in the regular season
The goal was crystal clear from the very beginning of the campaign: qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs. Now 24 games into the regular season, Rémi Garde’s men are still on track. Sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference with 10 games to go, the Impact is still on track to achieving this goal.
But with just seven little points separating first from eighth in the East, the room for error will be little to none heading into this final stretch.
“We’re a lot closer to the end than the beginning,” said Impact head coach Rémi Garde. “Every team is focused on the standings and we are as well. We know the four losses put us in a position in which we need to continue going in the opposite direction. Our last two games were positive, and it’s up to us to keep the ingredients we put into them.”
The Impact brought an end to a four-game slide in MLS by defeating the East-leading Philadelphia Union 4-0 last Saturday. It sets up a month of August in which Montreal will play a whopping eight games, including a home-and-away series against Cavalry FC in the Canadian Championship semifinals.
“The month of August is undoubtably a very important month for us,” explained goalkeeper Evan Bush. “I think our mentality is in the right place. We just have to make sure we don’t become fragile. If we do lose a game at some point, our ability to bounce back is going to be very important for us. Before our four-game losing streak, we did that very well. I think we can recover that and harness the good things we’re able to do.”
A busy month
Fatigue will certainly be a factor for Rémi Garde’s men, although the head coach hasn’t been shy in rotating his line-up when the schedule asks for it. With the arrival of Finnish recruit Lassi Lappalainen and the return of talisman Nacho Piatti to the starting line-up, Montreal puts itself in optimal position to tackle this month in a positive way.
“Every point we lose can count at the end,” said centre-back Zakaria Diallo. “That’s why we need to play every game like it’s our last. There’s going to be fatigue, that’s normal. We’re a group of 23, and everyone will have to be ready to go.”
