MONTREAL – Impact head coach Frank Klopas’ apparent admission that he couldn’t explain his team’s drop in performance in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Chicago came as a bit of a surprise.
So when he was asked on Tuesday whether he had a better idea of what happened, Klopas felt the need to set the record straight.
“What I meant to say is that you have a good week of preparation, and the attitude is good, but sometimes you go in the game and they’re still human beings,” Klopas told reporters. “They’re trying to do the right things, but sometimes, it doesn’t always go your way.”
Not much has gone the Impact's way, though. One of five winless teams in MLS this season, they sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with three points.
But Montreal maintain that some positives are hidden in there: they’re unbeaten in their last three games, and although they looked gassed out against the Fire, they didn’t leave the Olympic Stadium empty-handed.
“I have to say that, from our performance and intensity and stuff, it wasn’t what it should have been, but you walk away with a point,” Klopas said. “It’s not what we want, but it’s stuff to build on.”
The results will come, insisted Klopas, who commended his charges’ efforts not only in training, but also in four of their first six matches where, he felt, they were the best team on the field and deserved better.
Praise also went the other way when goalkeeper Troy Perkins was asked about Klopas’ efforts so far.
“I think we’re moving in the right direction,” Perkins told reporters. “We’re focused on a lot of little things and eventually, all those little things are going to come together for us. Time will tell. If we’re having the same conversation in September, October, it’s been a bad year, but no one is sitting there, saying it’s over. There’s a long way to go. We need to do better and we will.”
Olivier Tremblay covers the Impact on MLSsoccer.com
