Impact turning things around with two wins in three games
After the Impact plays its next game against Orlando City SC on Saturday in Florida (TVA Sports, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690), Montreal will officially have played half of its MLS season. The midway point also marks somewhat of a turning of the tides for a Bleu-blanc-noir side that had its struggles in the first half of the season.
“We have to view this as a fresh start, a new season,” said defender Chris Duvall. “We’ve seen teams like Seattle and New England in the past few years go on terrible runs in the first half of the season, and then come back and make it to an MLS Cup final. We’re looking at this as a new beginning, and in the second half of the season we’re going to have to turn this around.”
The Bleu-blanc-noir is already in the process of leaving its struggles behind: the team has won two of its last three games by shutting out its opponent, and put up a good road performance in its loss to FC Dallas on June 9.
“We’re on a good streak and we want to build on that,” said striker Anthony Jackson-Hamel. “We feel the atmosphere getting better in training and everyone is more confident. We know the season is long and that it can change quickly in MLS. We held on. The objective was to win a couple of games and start fresh with a good foundation.”
Head coach Rémi Garde credits his team’s improved play with an increase in the overall collective effort, which was especially evident in the game against Houston, when the Impact fought tooth and nail to maintain its one-goal advantage and break out of a four-game losing streak.
“It is only by building on this collective spirit, and sacrificing yourself for the team, that we’ll move forward,” said Garde. “There is a cause and effect that is quite evident between everyone putting themselves at the service of the team and our success. Maybe the success we couldn’t find over so many games is smiling on us a little. It’s on us to continue building a form of confidence that we lacked before.”
After this weekend’s game, the Bleu-blanc-noir will be back at State Saputo to host a former rival gone West, Sporting Kansas City, on Saturday, June 30 at 7pm (TICKETS - TVA Sports, TSN, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690).
