MONTREAL – Same competition, but different clash of styles.
In the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, the Montreal Impact played a Pachuca team that was most comfortable attacking directly when the opposition has lost its shape, with pace and width. Montreal’s defensive organization complicated matters for the Tuzos. Of their three goals in the series, only one came from open play.
But Alajuelense don’t mind breaking defenses down. They attack with numbers, working combinations in the middle and pushing several players in the box when they do work the ball wide. This is what Montreal are expecting this Wednesday night at the Olympic Stadium, in the first leg of their CCL semifinal tie against the Costa Rican side.
“We’ve been focusing on keeping guys back, because on the film we've watched, when they go forward, they've got seven or eight guys going forward,” forward Jack McInerney told reporters on Monday. “We've got to keep a clean sheet, and when they're throwing all those guys forward, that's probably the best time to attack for us.”
Defensive organization does remain key in this contest for Montreal. They conceded possession to Pachuca 68.5 percent of the time over two legs, and they expect Alajuelense to keep the ball most of the time as well.
But, goalkeeper Evan Bush said, that doesn’t mean that Montreal are letting the opponent dictate how the game is played. He insisted that trying to play a style that doesn’t suit you is the best way to get in trouble.
“In this series – and it’s the same with the last series –, they might have the ball more,” Bush said. “That’s just the style that they play. But in the times that we get the ball, we can create things quickly and get forward quickly; those are the times we’ll be able to have success, I think.”
However, Montreal do realize that playing the first leg at home requires them to push the game more. A low-scoring draw at home against Pachuca was enough to get them through. Striving to do the same here would be ill-advised, at best.
“We tried to take space away from [Pachuca] where they wouldn’t hurt us on the break. This is a different team,” head coach Frank Klopas said. “We’re in a different position, playing at home. It’s different. So yeah, we have to come and push the game, but also do it in a smart way.”
