Players met the media for last time in 2018
That’s all she wrote in 2018 for the Montreal Impact. We can’t say it wasn’t breathtaking until the end, but ultimately, a difficult start to the season came back to haunt Rémi Garde’s men in their hunt for an MLS Cup playoff spot.
As per usual, the media met with the Bleu-blanc-noir players one last time on Wednesday morning before their offseason began. If disappointment still reigned in the locker room just a few days after the team’s elimination, we get the sense that there’s also a certain excitement looking ahead to 2019, now that the foundation was set this year.
Here are some of the highlights from what was said in the players’ 2018 post mortem.
Midfielder Nacho Piatti
On receiving the Giuseppe Saputo Trophy:
“I wanted to say thank you to my teammates, because it isn’t only me on the field, but the entire team. I’m happy to receive this trophy, but I wanted to be playing playoff soccer. If I could exchange this for a playoff spot, I would. We need to start thinking about next year.”
On next year
“We succeeded in adding a lot of points in the second half of the season. We have to look at that and come back next year with the same mentality. Starting the season off on the right foot is very important. The fact that now we know each other and the coaching staff better will help a lot.”
Goalkeeper Evan Bush
On missing the playoffs
“It’s a much better feeling now than this point last year, but ultimately, we would’ve loved to have some more results go our way near the end of the season, particularly in the last one. I would rather be playing tonight than sitting here talking about the end of the season.”
On the future
“Looking at the last half of the season, there was a lot of positive. The future here looks very bright, and I think there are a lot of reasons to be excited about what’s to come. There’ll be more consistency in our approach next year, and we’ll be able to attack the first part of the season a little harder.”
Defender Rod Fanni
On the season as a whole
“Even if we progressed quite a bit, we’re disappointed because I think we were capable of more. For me, our objective remains unfinished. My mission was to make the playoffs, which we didn’t do. I’m happy with my work, but there’s an itch that remains.”
On what to improve
“We need more consistency. There was more regularity in our performances in the second half of the season, and it gave us hope until the very end. A little more consistency would go a very long way. But we’ve built a lot this year and it’s a more comfortable environment now.”
Defender Daniel Lovitz
On mistakes made in the beginning
“I think we could’ve done a better job dealing with the growing pains in the beginning. There was a lot of angst, and we weren’t meeting expectations, which became disheartening. We got into a deeper rut then we should’ve been in. We redefined who we were and what we wanted to accomplish, and things became much clearer and simpler. You look at the second half of the season and it represents a different group. We’re more comfortable with this version of ourselves and we’ll want to build on that.”
Midfielder Samuel Piette
On what changed over the course of the season
“We worked so hard as a team in the second half of the season and we knew each other better. We put the team in front of our egos. Our overall effort was much better as well. We put ourselves in service of the team before ourselves, and it made a huge difference.”
Midfielder Saphir Taïder
On his outlook on the season
“Despite everything it was a positive season, even if we would’ve loved to qualify. Since May, we’ve played a great season. We learned to play better together. We have a certain foundation in place for next year because we managed to build something. We’ll use that as a starting point to be successful. The objective is clear, and that’s to make the playoffs in 2019.”
Midfielder Micheal Azira
On the Impact’s position in the second half
“You don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you’re fighting for a playoff spot until the last game of the season. That’s why it’s important to win in the beginning as well. Every team is looking for points in the second half. I’m sad we didn’t make the playoffs, but I’m proud to have been a part of this club.”
