Six of next 10 games will be played at Stade Saputo
The month of April was capped off with a 4-1 defeat to Atlanta United, but it also marked the beginning of a changed mentality for the Bleu-blanc-noir. Starting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the Impact allowed no goals in the first 70 minutes against one of the league’s best offenses, the team has been much sturdier defensively, after allowing 16 goals in April.
“I think continuity has a role to play,” explained defender Daniel Lovitz. “After the month of April, we knew it was a type of sink or swim situation. It just wasn’t anywhere near good enough. The Atlanta game was the first step in the right direction in that regard. Regardless of the score, we thought we played a good defensive match and we’ve carried on with that. We’ve been tighter, and the guys have a little bit more confidence defending. It’s something to build on moving forward.”
The Impact seems to have turned the page on a difficult beginning to the season, marked by seven away games out of 10. It will now play six out of its next 10 games at Stade Saputo, where the team was able to break out of a four-game skid with a win against the Revs, last Saturday.
Finding a balance
The Impact has had no problems scoring goals this season, finding the back of the net in eight of its first 10 games. The only games the Bleu-blanc-noir has failed to score in were against New England, where the team played with 10 men for a large portion of the game, and its last game against Chicago. But for Impact head coach Rémi Garde, it was offensive flair that was missing in Wednesday’s performance.
“I think we may have defended a little too much, and we didn’t attack well enough,” said Garde. “Sometimes, to defend well, you need to attack, even if I always say the opposite. Football is about balance. Just because we put emphasis on our defensive game, doesn’t mean we’ll neglect the offensive aspect of our game.”
The Impact will have a chance to emphasize its offense against the Philadelphia Union, this Saturday at 3pm (TICKETS – TVA Sports, CTV, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690) at Stade Saputo, where the team has scored seven goals in its last two games. Then, the Bleu-blanc-noir will celebrate its silver jubilee with the 25th anniversary commemorative game against the LA Galaxy, on Monday, May 21, at 3pm, 25 years to the day after the club’s first game in Montreal (TICKETS– TVA Sports, TSN, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690).
