First team united in Florida to close out preseason
For some, preseason started a month ago; others had to quarantine first before joining the team, having arrived from abroad, while some had to leave and join their national selections for important games in the middle of it all.
But finally, last Tuesday, the entire first team and its staff were reunited in Florida, where they will get set to kick off their MLS season on April 17 against Toronto FC in their new home base for the time being, Inter Miami CF Stadium (TVA, TVA Sports, TSN, 91.9 Sports, TSN 690).
“It felt like a birthday party, where you haven’t seen a lot of people in a while,” said midfielder Djordje Mihailovic. “It was a great feeling and a long time coming. It was great to get some minutes in too. We have a real game coming soon in MLS, so these are valuable moments that we need.”
It was the first time Mihailovic was united with his teammates since his offseason move to Montreal. The midfielder first joined the United States national camp in January, staying on board with the U23 squad afterwards for Concacaf Olympic qualifying, before flying straight to Florida to wait for the rest of the group.
Wilfried Nancy’s men had an opportunity to take in two preseason games as well, last Thursday against Tormenta FC and on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, where the coaching staff took advantage of giving every single player some minutes in a competitive setting
“Everyone had to play,” explained head coach Wilfried Nancy. “As a staff, we had to see so many things, so everyone had an opportunity to express themselves. I wasn’t expecting us to gel as a team just yet. I saw a lot of good things, but there are things to work on, of course.”
Montreal will continue to train in Orlando until Thursday, before making the move to its home base, in Ft. Lauderdale. Although Nancy has a clearer image of what his final XI will look like come next Saturday, nothing is finalized just yet.
“We’re in a situation in which we need a little more time, and this week will be decisive in that regard,” added Nancy. “Right now, the players are conscious that we need to go a little bit faster and they’re putting in the necessary work to do so.”
