MONTREAL – The Impact sought to rest some regulars this weekend. Fate beat them to it.
Injuries forced defenders Matteo Ferrari (hamstring tweak) and Hassoun Camara (elbow damage) out early on Wednesday night when Montreal tied the LA Galaxy 2-2 at Stade Saputo. Medical appointments were in store for both players on Thursday, but they were never likely to play this Saturday at the New England Revolution anyway.
“I think we were going to rotate the squad for Saturday’s game,” assistant coach Mauro Biello told reporters on Thursday. “These two players fell within the category of players that weren’t going to play. We’ll see how their injuries are today and we’ll make decisions on who will play on Saturday.”
Biello hinted that several younger players could step on the Gillette Stadium turf. He also confirmed that the injured Justin Mapp (groin) and Gorka Larrea (calf) are still out for this weekend.
Montreal are to restore their first XI next Wednesday. Though the last-placed Impact are hoping to twist the playoffs race narrative when they face New England, who stand three points above the red line in third place in the Eastern Conference, they’re going all-in in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The Impact top Group 3 in CCL, three points ahead of the New York Red Bulls who are the visitors next Wednesday, September 17.
“Make no mistake, there’s still Wednesday,” team captain Patrice Bernier said. “Everyone knows it’s the game of the season.”
This will be the second-to-last game in the group. The potential decider is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22, between these two teams at Red Bull Arena.
But Montreal are adamant that they are not thinking ahead of themselves. They expect a tough challenge from the Revs, who are back in form after a sequence of nine losses in 10 games kickstarted by a 2-0 defeat at Montreal on May 31.
"I don’t think too many players think about [CCL],” midfielder Calum Mallace said. “Everyone shows up and does their job every day, and hopefully they’re playing well enough to get the nod. Whether the coaches are going to look at resting some players or not, we have a lot of games coming up and Wednesday is that big game that’s going to have a lot of our focus.”
