CF Montreal - 2022 Season Thread

[Chad_Impact]

1 minute ago, MM3/MM2/MM said:

I assume Chicago kept some sell-on percentage?

I believe so yes but not sure what it is

[P-O]

10% fee to the Fire.

 

[phil03]

Maybe its just me but with the 4-0 last game and the 2-0 after 30 mins tonight I do get the sense that the CF Montreal is truly hitting its full potential at exactly the right time! Obviously LAFC would be a tough monster to slay but I am way more optimistic as to this team's ability to make a very serious attempt at winning Canada's second MLS Cup (and probably rather solid transfers for Kone, Johnston and Miller as a result) then I was a few months ago.

[jonovision]

^ This team will always be scoring goals. What will make or break any deep playoff run is their ability to cut down chances against and keep the ball out of the net. I saw some advanced stats that suggested Montreal defensively is actually not bad but their keepers are very poor. In any case, they've done a better job in their own half than earlier this season. That will need to continue.

[phil03]

11 hours ago, jonovision said:

^ This team will always be scoring goals. What will make or break any deep playoff run is their ability to cut down chances against and keep the ball out of the net. I saw some advanced stats that suggested Montreal defensively is actually not bad but their keepers are very poor. In any case, they've done a better job in their own half than earlier this season. That will need to continue.

Indeed, and TBH I legit believe our backline is quite solid. Johntson, Miller, Waterman, Choiniere, Wanyama are all very solid defencemen. The main issue IMO is, as you say, in the net: both Breza and Pantemis would be perfectly alright as first keeper of a team in the mid table but both of them are far from ideal from the perspective of a team that is a legit contender. Like, if MTL would somewhow get Saint Clair, just for example, I would actually feel we could face LAFC as their true equals.

Edited August 28, 2022 by phil03

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

7 hours ago, phil03 said:

Indeed, and TBH I legit believe our backline is quite solid. Johntson, Miller, Waterman, Choiniere, Wanyama are all very solid defencemen. The main issue IMO is in the net: both Breza and Pantemis would be perfectly alright as first keeper of a team in the mid table but both of them are far from ideal from the perspective of a team that is legit contender. Like, if MTL would somewhow get Saint Clair, just for example, I would actually feel we could face LAFC as their true equals.

So you're bypassing Philadelphia? And TFC? 

And looking straight at LA? 

Edited August 28, 2022 by Unnamed Trialist

[phil03]

4 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

So you're bypassing Philadelphia? And TFC? 

And looking straight at LA? 

TFC probably won't make the playoffs, they might be only three points below Colombus but they have played two more games and they definitely don't have an easy calendar to finish things, with games against Montreal and Philadelphia. Add to this that Cincinnati and New England are also above Toronto while also enjoying easier calendars and having more games to play and I'd argue the transfers came too late for this year. Next year will be something else, obviously, but that's for later. Mind you, even if Montreal does play them in playoffs they did dominate them the last game they played, even if the score was only 1-0, so I am confident in our ability to deal with them if we actually don't do put our B squad like during the Canadian Championship.

As for Philadelphia I definitely do not discount them but I also believe MTL would be first in the east by a descent margin had Mihailovich not gotten injured considered we are only five points behind them with one game in hand. A Montreal-Philadelphia series would be a fierce battle but with Montreal looking like they have a fully healthy squad, (crossing fingers the incident with Toye was no big deal and that no other big injuries come about) and Mihailovich well its way to be back to his old self (as well as seemingly worry free due to his transfer as well as pleasantly rather motivated to leave Montreal with a solid parting gift) I would be cautiously optimistic against even Philadelphia, hence why I am thinking of LAFC, even if there is a fair argument that it might be pretty soon to do so

My main point of the post you quoted was that our keepers are our key weakness though, and on that I do feel on pretty solid ground. If Montreal had a first rate keeper instead of Breza and Pantemis the cautious in cautiously optimistic against Philadelphia would probably go away and even our chances against LAFC would look pretty descent.

Edited August 28, 2022 by phil03

[Kadenge]

That was a crazy 2nd yellow and red to Kone especially given the field location. Certainly wasn't a rash or dangerous foul. 

[costarg]

On 8/27/2022 at 8:58 PM, phil03 said:

Indeed, and TBH I legit believe our backline is quite solid. Johntson, Miller, Waterman, Choiniere, Wanyama are all very solid defencemen. The main issue IMO is, as you say, in the net: both Breza and Pantemis would be perfectly alright as first keeper of a team in the mid table but both of them are far from ideal from the perspective of a team that is a legit contender. Like, if MTL would somewhow get Saint Clair, just for example, I would actually feel we could face LAFC as their true equals.

They look better without Camacho in the middle of the D.  He's too much of a loose canon and he makes everyone around him look worse as well.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

 

[BearcatSA]

On 8/27/2022 at 5:51 PM, jonovision said:

^ This team will always be scoring goals. What will make or break any deep playoff run is their ability to cut down chances against and keep the ball out of the net. I saw some advanced stats that suggested Montreal defensively is actually not bad but their keepers are very poor. In any case, they've done a better job in their own half than earlier this season. That will need to continue.

When I watch Montreal, I fear that they might be an early round upset victim.  The Energy Drinks played an excellent tactical match to which Montreal had no answers.

[jonovision]

38 minutes ago, BearcatSA said:

When I watch Montreal, I fear that they might be an early round upset victim.  The Energy Drinks played an excellent tactical match to which Montreal had no answers.

A good tactical match and Montreal was without Lappalainen and Kone, who provide a lot more attacking thrust than Choiniere and Piette.

I get the same sense with them. They lack a true game breaker, like TFC's Italians. Quioto can do it occasionally. They are a team that is truly more than the sum of its parts and for that Nancy deserves a great deal of credit.

[BearcatSA]

1 minute ago, jonovision said:

A good tactical match and Montreal was without Lappalainen and Kone, who provide a lot more attacking thrust than Choiniere and Piette.

I get the same sense with them. They lack a true game breaker, like TFC's Italians. Quioto can do it occasionally. They are a team that is truly more than the sum of its parts and for that Nancy deserves a great deal of credit.

I like the Finn but several on here who watch the team regularly don't.  Choiniere didn't impress me last night.

I think the regular season standings mean jack in this particular league, frankly, and when you go with one-off playoff matches it becomes even more of a lottery.

[jonovision]

Just now, BearcatSA said:

I like the Finn but several on here who watch the team regularly don't.  Choiniere didn't impress me last night.

I think the regular season standings mean jack in this particular league, frankly, and when you go with one-off playoff matches it becomes even more of a lottery.

He can look totally off every now and then but he has a much higher ceiling as an attacking player than Choiniere.

[jonovision]

Whether Koné moves now or in January will also have a lot to do with whether Montreal can make a bit of a playoff run.

[MauditYvon]

 

[MauditYvon]

Allez dehors les Torontois!

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

 

[P-O]

Such an amazing time to be an Impact fan.

Officially made the playoffs.

 

[jonovision]

You'd have to think 2nd place is just about locked up. Which bubble team do you think they'd most like to face in the 2-7 game?

[phil03]

2 hours ago, jonovision said:

You'd have to think 2nd place is just about locked up. Which bubble team do you think they'd most like to face in the 2-7 game?

At this point my money is on Cincinnati, which isn't ideal since there is something with them that keep those games wilder then they should be, even if MTL end up winning at the end more often then not...

My preference would be New England.

 

[narduch]

The team you probably don't want to get is Inter Miami.

They have a handful of guys that can pull off a moment of individual brilliance that could hurt you

[reggietfc]

mtl is a solid team,well balanced,they sure could make a run,but they could also lose in the 1st rd

[BearcatSA]

3 hours ago, reggietfc said:

mtl is a solid team,well balanced,they sure could make a run,but they could also lose in the 1st rd

Like other upper seeded teams in the past in this league.  One and done.

I