MONTREAL - In a second consecutive sold-out home game of the season, CF Montréal drew 2-2 with Orlando City SC on Saturday evening at Stade Saputo.
In his first start of the season, striker Mason Toye brought the stadium crowd to its feet with the first goal of the game in the 16th minute.
After Facundo Torres equalized for Orlando from the penalty spot six minutes later, the deadlock persisted until the dying minutes, when Ariel Lassiter scored his second goal in as many games (88'), followed by an Ivan Angulo equalizer for the visitors in stoppage time (90'+2).
CF Montréal will play its next two games on the road, first at Columbus on April 27, then at Nashville on May 4, before facing Miami at Stade Saputo on May 11.
COMPLETE SUMMARY HERE
MATCH NOTES:
-Mason Toye scored his first goal of the season and 13th of his career with CF Montréal, while Samuel Piette picked up his 11th MLS assist with the Club.
-Ariel Lassiter scored his second goal of the season and third of his CF Montréal career.
LAURENT COURTOIS
"As long as the guys go out with the intention of creating chances and taking risks and dominating as much as possible, I can't blame them. In the first half we were too timid. I wanted more enthusiasm. In the second half, that's what we wanted to see, especially following on from the Cincinnati game. Mason Toye played an excellent game. He's got great qualities. I'm happy for him. He deserved it. We know he can bring us a lot. Breaking down a low block is the most difficult thing. The preventative coverage we want to put in place has to be impeccable. We're still in a process, but in a good position. It's tough. We're subject to the opponent's transitions. It's risky, and they know it. We were in too much of a hurry to score a second goal and I didn't want to compromise the team defensively."
SAMUEL PIETTE
"We had less possession than we would have liked in comparison with the Cincinnati game. Orlando offered a different tactical formation with Araujo in a different position. But in the second half we were more aggressive both on and off the ball. We were able to impose our game. It wasn't as good a first half as Cincinnati, but if you look at the whole thing, Orlando wasn't that threatening. The penalty was a shame, but we were in control. The message at half-time was that we were in a position to score another goal. There were positives, but also things we could have done better."
MASON TOYE
“I’ve been working hard to get back into the team. It was a difficult start to the season. It is unfortunate that injuries led to the opportunity. I had to come in and be dangerous. It is a gratifying feeling. It was a matter of time. I just had to be patient. I’m grateful for the opportunity. We have many strikers, which makes the competition great, but we have different profiles. The guys know my game which is different from Cóccaro and Martínez. But we can easily plug in different players and keep performing. Everything stems from training. Laurent stresses training a lot. He watches every detail of training. He tries to make sure we are executing and taking every part of practice seriously. Doing that has raised everybody’s level in the team.”
