WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a bye week during the FIFA international window, CF Montréal fell 1-0 to D.C. United at Audi Field on Saturday evening.
Portuguese midfielder Pedro Santos eventually broke the deadlock in the 85th minute with a shot from the edge of the penalty area to give the hosts all three points.
The Montrealers will play their next game on Saturday, April 6, when the team travels to the West Coast to face the Seattle Sounders at 10:30pm EDT (MLS Season Pass, BPM Sports, TSN 690).
COMPLETE SUMMARY HERE
MATCH NOTES:
-Josef Martínez earned his first start of the season with CF Montréal.
-Ruan played his 130th MLS regular-season game, while Ariel Lassiter earned his 30th start for the Club.
LAURENT COURTOIS
“D.C. was the most competitive team we've played so far. Even so, my players were able to get into the opposition penalty area on a few occasions. There were a lot of firsts tonight. Lappalainen coming back into the line-up and Josef playing his first game as a starter among others. There are certainly areas for improvement, but there were positive aspects too. Some great partnerships and players who deserved minutes. The midfield in general could be better, but you have to give credit to D.C. and their style of play. There were also situations where we could have fed Josef in better conditions. At the end of the game, there's a way to be more effective in creating more threats. It's up to me to be clearer. I have nothing to reproach my players for in their effort and fighting spirit.”
JONATHAN SIROIS
“For the most part, D.C. won most of the duels, but we could have done a better job of disturbing them to ensure that the balls won fell into more favorable places. In general, we expected D.C.'s physical presence in attack. I'm used to facing D.C. and Benteke's physical qualities. It's up to us to manage this aspect better in the return match in Montreal.”
SAMUEL PIETTE
“What we can learn from this game is how to adjust in difficult moments when we can't breathe as easily. When a team like D.C. lays traps for you and blocks the middle, you have to know how to adjust. We were able to do it, but it wasn't perfect. You have to live with that pressure and find solutions. It was a good test today. It wasn't a pleasant game to play, but a good lesson all the same. D.C. applied a lot of pressure. The international break also created a lack of continuity.”
