MONTREAL — For the second straight home game, CF Montreal failed to score a goal and lost 1-0.
Brooks Lennon's strike in the 54th minute was the lone goal for Atlanta United (9-5-8) on Saturday night, but that's all the visitors needed to beat Montreal (8-11-2) in Major League Soccer action.
Montreal lost 1-0 to visiting New York City on Canada Day. It's Montreal's first back-to-back losses at Stade Saputo since Aug. 28 and Sept. 9, 2020.
“I think (the loss) comes down to a lack of character,” said defender Rudy Camacho. “I think there were chances to win the game, there just had to be a bit more of a willingness and a killer instinct tonight.”
While teams playing in Stade Saputo normally establish a low block and concede the lion’s share of the possession, Atlanta looked to do the opposite. They pressed high up the field and forced Montreal to earn every yard of progress.
The approach yielded an open game with both teams finding large gaps in the opposing midfield and attacking at will. While both teams’ attacks enjoyed the freedom, neither could generate concrete opportunities as last-ditch tackles were frequent.
“I feel like we were better today, but we lacked the cutting edge to get a result,” said captain Victor Wanyama. “I think we moved the ball well and we broke them down well, but when it came to the final third, I think we just rushed it a little bit.”
Atlanta came out of the break and controlled the tempo for the opening phase. They won possession high up the field and began catching Montreal out of position.
It took just 10 minutes after the restart for the deadlock to be broken. After winning a free kick just 25 yards away from goal, star midfielder Thiago Almada hit a perfect shot over the wall and struck the post, leaving Lennon with a wide-open goal to give the visitors the lead.
“It’s not a good goal. We knew going into this game that Atlanta have scored 14 or 15 goals from set pieces and we put ourselves in this situation,” said head coach Hernan Losada. “It starts with the foul and then not following the second ball and taking advantage of the opportunity to clear our lines there.”
As Montreal began to play on the verge of desperation, Atlanta set up their low block, sending back every single wave of attack without conceding any significant chances. This has been a problem for Montreal, which has now gone 333 minutes without scoring — including 243 minutes at home.
The club currently sits second-to-last in MLS in Expected Goals as well as goals scored. A want of an experienced and reliable striker has also added to the lack of consistency up front, as this isn’t the first time Montreal has gone long stretches without scoring.
“We’re missing that final pass, and even when that final pass is played, we’re not there,” said Losada. “We show our faith in players, we’ve given them minutes, we’ve worked with them individually, and now it’s on them to deliver.”
However, that wasn’t the end of the drama. In a bit to slow down the game and disrupt Montreal’s rhythm, Atlanta committed several fouls and were able to frustrate their opponents which would eventually lead to a mass confrontation after the final whistle that even saw both coaches exchange heated words.
UP NEXT
Both teams will be back in action on Wednesday when Montreal travels to Chicago to face the Fire, while Atlanta visits Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Saturday, July 8, 2023.
Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press
