With their MLS season opener approaching, there was little time for the Montreal Impact to revel in Cameron Porter’s dramatic equalizer that put them through to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday.
D.C. United await, this Saturday afternoon at RFK Stadium. As a result, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were training days, with everyone trying to either keep their starter status intact or force their way into the lineup.
Assistant coach Mauro Biello confirmed on Friday that there would be some rotation in the lineup against D.C., but hinted that the approach would be similar to the one adopted in the Pachuca series.
“We have to keep the same momentum,” Biello told reporters. “We have to defend well, be compact in the defensive phase and counter well against a team that’s playing at home, but didn’t get a good result in the Champions League. Maybe we can take them by surprise with our attacking movements.”
CCL provided different emotions to both clubs. 24 hours after Montreal made it to the semis, United’s run ended as they beat Alajuelense 2-1 at home, but lost 6-4 on aggregate.
But those were two games. Complacency would be ill-advised. Last season, D.C. United were a Supporters’ Shield contender over 34 rounds. And not much has changed in D.C., while Montreal underwent a squad makeover after finishing bottom of the Eastern Conference last year. The Impact thus chose to look at this weekend’s opponents not as CCL quarterfinalists, but as the top team in the East until further notice.
“This is a team that had a good season last year,” center back Bakary Soumare said. “It made no sense for them to make big changes. They're a very experienced team, with a lot of players with many MLS games under their belt. They're disciplined and responsible. They have a good coach.
“I think they’ll be as good as last year,” Soumare continued. “Then, it’s up to us to prove that we’re a better team than last year. We’re going down there to grab points and prove to everyone that we’ve moved on from last year and that, this year, it won’t be the same thing.”
