Latest news with #Donadel
Hamilton Spectator
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
CF Montreal comes close, but still winless at home after 2-1 loss to Philadelphia
MONTREAL - CF Montreal's search for its first Major League Soccer win continues as Mikael Uhre's late goal lifted the Philadelphia Union to a 2-1 victory at Stade Saputo on Saturday night. The same issue that has plagued Montreal all season resurfaced once again, as a chronic lack of composure and decisiveness in front of goal left several chances unconverted. Despite scoring their first goal at home this season, Montreal's (0-8-3) standing as the team with the worst goal-converting rate in the league only worsened. However, head coach Marco Donadel refuses to see the glass as half empty, focusing instead on the quality exhibited in the other aspects of the match. 'I don't need to say anything, they know what we are doing and what we're showing on the field. They are aware that the performance is there,' said Donadel who admitted after the game that he was found it difficult to explain his team's finishing. 'I'm happy for the performance, I'm happy with the improvements, and I'm happy that the group understands and is talking with positive words and positive energy.' Indiana Vassilev added Philadelphia's (7-3-1) other goal while Giacomo Vrioni scored for Montreal. It took Philadelphia just 73 seconds to open the scoring with a slick counterattack that rapidly cut through the host's right side. Vassilev capped it off with a shot into the top right corner that overpowered Jonathan Sirois' outstretched hand. In every game except two this season, Montreal has conceded the first. The other two games ended in a scoreless draw. Montreal's best opportunity of the half came when a cross from Tom Pearce was deflected on goal by Francis Westfield and through Andre Blake's legs. However, a slight deflection of Blake's right foot sent the ball skimming by the post and out. For the first time since Donadel's appointment as interim head coach, he lined up his squad with two pure strikers in a 4-4-2 formation. This paid dividends on a number of occasions as the constant pressure put on the back line allowed more space to exploit. 'We knew with the way Philadelphia played that we would be able to move forward quickly with two strikers,' said Nathan Saliba. 'It helped during the buildup play, I feel like we could've found them right away. ' … When the ball is out wide with someone like Pearce who has a good cross, it's definitely interesting.' With the final kick of the first half, Montreal finally found the equalizer. A low cross from Dante Sealy sowed chaos in the penalty area and — after several defensive errors — fell to Vrioni, who was alone in front of goal and made no mistake. This was the first goal Vrioni scored for the club in front of his entire family, including his newborn son who is just three-weeks-old. 'It was beautiful honestly, it's the best thing that can happen in your life,' said Vrioni. 'He still doesn't understand it, but hopefully very soon.' Montreal carried that momentum into the second half, immediately forcing Philadelphia into a defensive block with Sealy acting as the main catalyst on the right wing. Along with the entire crowd, he believed that he had won a penalty in the 77th minute, but after the Video Assistant Referee recommended a review of the play, it was determined the call would be upheld and no penalty awarded. However, Philadelphia would find a winner in the 84th minute against the run of play. Uhre found space in behind the Montreal central defenders and got on the end of a perfect pass from Jovan Lukic, making no mistake as he slipped the ball past Sirois. UP NEXT Philadelphia: Hosts Indy Eleven on Wednesday in first round of the U.S. Open Cup. Montreal: Visit New York City FC on Saturday, May 10. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
CF Montreal comes close, but still winless at home after 2-1 loss to Philadelphia
MONTREAL – CF Montreal's search for its first Major League Soccer win continues as Mikael Uhre's late goal lifted the Philadelphia Union to a 2-1 victory at Stade Saputo on Saturday night. The same issue that has plagued Montreal all season resurfaced once again, as a chronic lack of composure and decisiveness in front of goal left several chances unconverted. Despite scoring their first goal at home this season, Montreal's (0-8-3) standing as the team with the worst goal-converting rate in the league only worsened. However, head coach Marco Donadel refuses to see the glass as half empty, focusing instead on the quality exhibited in the other aspects of the match. 'I don't need to say anything, they know what we are doing and what we're showing on the field. They are aware that the performance is there,' said Donadel who admitted after the game that he was found it difficult to explain his team's finishing. 'I'm happy for the performance, I'm happy with the improvements, and I'm happy that the group understands and is talking with positive words and positive energy.' Indiana Vassilev added Philadelphia's (7-3-1) other goal while Giacomo Vrioni scored for Montreal. It took Philadelphia just 73 seconds to open the scoring with a slick counterattack that rapidly cut through the host's right side. Vassilev capped it off with a shot into the top right corner that overpowered Jonathan Sirois' outstretched hand. In every game except two this season, Montreal has conceded the first. The other two games ended in a scoreless draw. Montreal's best opportunity of the half came when a cross from Tom Pearce was deflected on goal by Francis Westfield and through Andre Blake's legs. However, a slight deflection of Blake's right foot sent the ball skimming by the post and out. For the first time since Donadel's appointment as interim head coach, he lined up his squad with two pure strikers in a 4-4-2 formation. This paid dividends on a number of occasions as the constant pressure put on the back line allowed more space to exploit. 'We knew with the way Philadelphia played that we would be able to move forward quickly with two strikers,' said Nathan Saliba. 'It helped during the buildup play, I feel like we could've found them right away. ' … When the ball is out wide with someone like Pearce who has a good cross, it's definitely interesting.' With the final kick of the first half, Montreal finally found the equalizer. A low cross from Dante Sealy sowed chaos in the penalty area and — after several defensive errors — fell to Vrioni, who was alone in front of goal and made no mistake. This was the first goal Vrioni scored for the club in front of his entire family, including his newborn son who is just three-weeks-old. 'It was beautiful honestly, it's the best thing that can happen in your life,' said Vrioni. 'He still doesn't understand it, but hopefully very soon.' Montreal carried that momentum into the second half, immediately forcing Philadelphia into a defensive block with Sealy acting as the main catalyst on the right wing. Along with the entire crowd, he believed that he had won a penalty in the 77th minute, but after the Video Assistant Referee recommended a review of the play, it was determined the call would be upheld and no penalty awarded. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. However, Philadelphia would find a winner in the 84th minute against the run of play. Uhre found space in behind the Montreal central defenders and got on the end of a perfect pass from Jovan Lukic, making no mistake as he slipped the ball past Sirois. UP NEXT Philadelphia: Hosts Indy Eleven on Wednesday in first round of the U.S. Open Cup. Montreal: Visit New York City FC on Saturday, May 10. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2025.
CBC
12-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
CF Montréal bets on Marco Donadel to pull squad out of an early season hole
Marco Donadel wasn't expecting to be calling the shots for CF Montréal at this point. But after a rocky start to the MLS season, the club decided it was time to part ways with head coach Laurent Courtois and promote Donadel — the first former player from the club's MLS era to coach the team. "It's a great feeling," Donadel said about his new role as interim head coach. But the 41-year-old Italian national admits he hasn't had time to let it all sink in yet. He only joined the team as an assistant coach in January, 10 years to the month that he first joined Montreal as a player in 2015. Montreal has yet to play a home game this season, with its home opener scheduled for 7:30 p.m. today, but with five losses and two draws over seven road games, there is already a sense of urgency at the club that the opportunity for making this a successful year is slipping away. "I'm very, very focused on the things I need to fix," Donadel said. Courtois had only coached the team for one full season and five of the seven road games. His firing falls in line with Montreal's reputation of turning over coaches regularly. Donadel is now CF Montréal's 11th coach since the franchise joined the MLS in 2012 and it's fair to assume, like the 10 others, Donadel will also be on a short leash. "I'm here to take on the responsibility," Donadel said. "I don't have any kind of expectation, just to have fun every day with the guys." Donadel's coaching experience includes working as an assistant coach with Russian team Spartak Moscow and being the head coach of an Italian 3rd division team, Ancona, where he was dismissed after six months. Getting back to a culture of success Donadel played in Montreal during what some consider a golden era for the club. During his tenure, Montreal made its deepest run in the MLS playoffs in franchise history, reaching the semifinals before losing to Toronto FC. The team also came within 45 minutes of winning the CONCACAF Champions League before a second half collapse, ultimately losing to Mexican side Club America in front of more than 60,000 fans at Montreal's Olympic Stadium in the final. Donadel said defeating the New York Red Bulls in the MLS during the MLS Cup playoff run in 2015 was one of the top moments of his playing career. He hopes to deliver fans more moments like that now that he's the coach. "We need a bit of time, but we have a lot of energy and passion and desire," Donadel said. It also appears that the team's owner, Joey Saputo, would welcome a return to the era when Donadel played, and that culture that was around the team at the time. In March, Saputo — who is also the owner of Italian side Bologna FC — did an interview with Italian television station OMNI. During the interview, he said that his decision to resign as club president in Montreal and step away from the day-to-day operations in 2019 might have been a mistake. "When I see where the club is today, there is no longer the culture that was there when I was," Saputo said, in Italian. Donadel says since rejoining the club as a coach, he's also noticed that things aren't the same as they were. "From the day I left in 2018 and the day I came [back] here, the feeling changed a bit. Something changed, I don't know exactly what," Donadel said about the club culture. "Right now I don't know if it's a personal feeling, or if the owner is right [about the cultural shift]." Donadel says that starting the season away from home with seven road games makes it difficult to really assess what has happened. He added that once he gets back to Saputo Stadium for home games, he will better understand how, or if, the vibe and culture around the club has changed. Full circle moment for Donadel's family Donadel is the father of three girls, ages 11 to 18, and he says that for his family, returning to Montreal is a dream come true. His youngest spent her early childhood in Montreal and is a Canadian citizen. His girls all speak French, English and Italian, and Donadel says they will join him in the city once the school year in Italy finishes. As for Donadel's linguistic prowess, his French is a work in progress, but he says he is actively working on it and hopes to communicate to much of CF Montréal's fan base in their mother tongue in short order. If those conversations are about wins, all the better. Donadel says it would be a mistake for anyone to write off CF Montréal at this point in the season. With 17 of the 27 remaining games at home, he believes home field advantage is exactly what the squad needs to turn the year into a success.
