CF Montréal remains winless at home with 3-1 loss to FC Cincinnati

Montreal Gazette

4 hours ago

Club de Foot Montreal
Prince Owusu can feel the pressure building with losses piling up at Stade Saputo.
CF Montreal remains winless at home after losing 3-1 to FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer action Wednesday night.
'We want it so much that I feel like we get stiff,' the German forward said. 'We have to get this stiffness away, communicate more and be brave.
'We play too hectic, or too nervous, at home than away. I think we have to find solutions for that.'
Brazilian midfielder Evander scored twice to reach nine goals on the season while fellow star player Luca Orellano also found the back of the net for Cincinnati (11-5-3), which ranks second in the Eastern Conference. Cincinnati had one victory in its previous five games.
Owusu converted his third goal in two games for Montreal (2-12-5). The club failed to carry momentum into the match after earning its second win this season, 3-1 on the road over the Houston Dynamo on June 14.
Montreal, which sits last in the East, fell to 0-5-3 at Stade Saputo.
'The confidence that we usually need to have as the home team is right now not there,' Owusu said. 'It's a mental thing, to be honest, because away you could see — we play.'
Assistant coach David Sauvry filled in for Marco Donadel along the touchline while the interim head coach served a one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Sauvry said his squad played a solid first 30 minutes, but a breakdown late in the first half changed the course of the match as Montreal tried to erase a deficit.
'For me, the moment you concede the first goal, it's not the same,' he said. 'The energy level when you're pushing to come back and when you're trying to score and exploit some moments, it's not the same.'
Evander opened the scoring just before first-half injury time when he controlled a hard cross from DeAndre Yedlin and slotted a left-footed finish past Montreal 'keeper Jonathan Sirois on a balmy, 25 C evening.
Yedlin broke down the right side, overlapping a confused Montreal defence, before finding Evander, who was named to the MLS all-star roster earlier Wednesday.
'We have to be more focused,' centre back George Campbell said. 'We can't just pick our target and then let them run in behind us or dribble past us.'
Adding to the defeat, centre back Jalen Neal, attacking midfielder Caden Clark and captain Samuel Piette exited the match with apparent injuries.
Piette's ailment seemed to be the least serious of the three. Sauvry did not have an update post-game.
'It's terrible for the team,' Campbell said. 'But we have other guys ready to play and we need to be encouraged that those guys can do the same job, if not better.'
Montreal substitute Dante Sealy, moments after coming on the field in the 55th minute, nearly equalized by cutting inside to his left foot, but sent his shot from the top of the box just over the bar.
After Cincinnati top scorer Kévin Denkey failed to convert a quality chance, Orellano dribbled through Montreal's defence for a flashy goal to double the lead in the 65th minute.
Evander made it a brace in the 83rd, finishing Lukas Engel's low pass from the centre of the box to make it 3-0.
'They have a lot of quality, but I think they didn't play their best game today, so it was a big chance for us to win this game,' Owusu said. 'Sometimes I had the feeling we had too much respect for them.'
Owusu got Montreal on the board with a beautiful header off Jules-Anthony Vilsaint's cross in the 89th minute.
Cincinnati looked like the stronger side in the first half, edging Montreal 7-5 on the shot count, including 5-1 on target.
Montreal created chances early in the first 45 minutes. Clark sent a superb through ball with Tom Pearce streaking down the left side in the seventh minute, but Pearce shot wide on a golden opportunity.
Pearce was at it again in the 13th minute. This time he blasted down the left wing and fired a sharp-angle attempt at the near post, but Celentano turned it aside with his right arm.
'We have to analyze this game tomorrow and take the good parts, learn from the mistakes,' Owusu said. 'That's a big thing this season. To learn from the mistakes, because we do too many individual mistakes again and again and again.'
Montreal has the lowest payroll in the league once again, according to figures released Wednesday by the MLS Players Association. The roster's total salary adds up to US$11.99 million, roughly 1.3 million less than the next-closest Philadelphia Union. Cincinnati, meanwhile, has the league's fourth-highest payroll of $23.18 million.
Cincinnati: Visits Orlando SC on Saturday.