The Academy's U15 and U17 players were both held to draws on Saturday at Centre Nutrilait by Oakwood Soccer Club – two draws to build upon this week on the road against the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC.
In soccer, dominating is not winning, and CF Montréal’s Academy players learned this bitter truth against Oakwood SC, a private Connecticut -based academy, with many chances created but only two points secured.
U17s pay to learn (3-4-2)
Dominant against a low block, the Montrealers were strong on the ball but struggled to be dangerous with the final pass despite many crosses. Oakwood eventually opened the scoring against the run of play on their first opportunity after a poorly cleared free kick.
The game changed little in the second half, despite a major goalkeeping performance. The insistence of head coach Maxime Leconte's players finally paid off on the hour mark with a Jesse Saputo equalizer. However, a lapse in concentration three minutes later from a corner kick saw CF Montréal fall behind again. Diego Chaverra-Gilbert was fouled in the penalty area, allowing Antoine N'Diaye to convert from the spot just before added time. A bittersweet draw. Final score: 2-2.
“It is disappointing that we couldn’t grab those two extra points,” said Jesse Saputo after the game. “We put up a good fight, but we have to learn from our mistakes, give less room, and be more aggressive when we lose the ball.”
“We lacked too much technical quality to hope for a better result in this game,” said Leconte. “We weren't aggressive enough in either penalty box and we conceded two goals from set pieces. We weren't deadly enough in front of goal. We must work harder to be more efficient and have that desire to destabilize the opponent, which is standard at high levels. This begins with our mindset, not only in matches but in training sessions too.”
U17 Starting XI: Mastias Hammache – Sergei Kozlovskiy – Alessandro Biello (cap.) – Dylan Pierre Alexis – Gaël De Montigny – Emrik Fotsing – Antoine N’Diaye – Tim Arnaud – Sébastien Udell Joseph – Jesse Saputo – Marc-Alexandre Happi Emaga
Substitutes: Ewan Derrien-Lairet, Étienne Godin, Franco De Cicco, Luca Domanico, Diego Chaverra-Gilbert, Aleksandr Guboglo, Anthony Alexis
Goals:
OAK - Chase Gray (31st)
MTL - Jesse Saputo (60th)
OAK - Gustavo Tessaro (63rd)
MTL - Antoine N'Diaye (90th PK)
>>> Standings U17
U15s rue their missed chances (5-1-3)
Following the conclusion of the U17s’ game, the U15s match had a similar turn of events. The Montrealers dominated but lacked finishing. The U15s conceded first and then gave up a penalty just before halftime.
Head coach Esteban Landazabal responded with three changes after the break. The team’s high press eventually led to an equalizer from Owen Graham-Roache with an assist from Eliott Germain-Aubrey. The Montrealers made a push late in the game but failed to find a game-winner.
“We made some mistakes that we were able to make up for with a goal, but we should have scored more,” said captain Daniel Panait. “We had a lot of possession in the opponent's half without scoring. These kinds of games happen.”
In a final long-distance attempt, Pierrot Mbiaga forced a spectacular save from the Oakwood goalkeeper to conclude the game. The U15s ultimately preserved their unbeaten record at Centre Nutrilait, but frustration was predominant among the squad. Final score: 1-1.
“The team performance is good as well as some individualities,” said Landazabal. “We must elevate our expectations for CF Montréal to be respected in the league. We must raise our standards, not only to dominate games but to win them too.”
U15 Starting XI: Jean-Christophe Belzile – Maxime Scaglione – Malek Coriélus – Daniel Panait (cap.) – Ashraf Savadogo – Michael Adom Ampofo - Daniel Dimbu-Vasile – Eliott Germain-Aubrey – Diego Nué Brito – Alexandre Drepin – Owen Graham-Roache
Substitutes: Louka Pohu, Hevra Jounang, Pierrot Mbiaga, Joel Kontchou, Laurent Santana, Vitaliy Movchan, Dany Saoud
Goals:
OAK - Shayne Folkes (39th PK)
MTL - Owen Graham-Roache (56th)
>>> Standings U15
The Academy players will next head for New York to take on the New York Red Bulls this Saturday starting at 10am. They will then head to Queens to face New York City FC at Belson Stadium at St John's University. Kick-off is Sunday at 12pm.