It’s easy to be apologetic from a personnel perspective after last night’s 4-2 win meant Club America ripped its 6th CONCACAF Champions League title out of the grasp of the Montreal Impact.
A whole host of names were missing from the Impact’s roster do to injury and suspension. Cameron Porter, Justin Mapp, Hassoun Camara, Victor Cabrera, Hassoun Camara and Evan Bush all might have changed the script.
The biggest absentees were Camara and Cabrera, however, forcing Nigel Reo-Coker to switch from his holding midfield position to right back.
Reo-Coker moving to right back had the biggest effect. As for the absence of Bush, it didn’t matter who was in goal tonight. The bottom line is Montreal made the same technical and tactical mistakes that almost hurt them at the Estadio Azteca. The only difference is that this time they were heavily punished in front of their home fans.
Montreal’s opener came earlier then it did a week ago, but in a similar fashion. America’s defending was panicked on the few occasions that Montreal worked the ball in deep. Ignacio Piatti weaved a pretty little pattern into the box before laying the ball back for his countryman. Andres Romero showed excellent composure in waiting for his moment of glory.
Just as a week ago, America pressed high with its midfield, leaving a huge pocket of space in front of what was often a back three (either Miguel Samudio or Paul Aguilar were almost always in the midfield).
Just as a week ago, Montreal should have been 2-0 up when the Impact exploited that space only for Piatti to be denied when so much more was expected of him.
The second goal would have been crucial in both legs as in between Montreal’s first and almost a guaranteed second, Club America had already fired the warning shots that one goal was never going to be enough.
When Dario Benedetto’s 13th minute effort bounced off the cross bar it was a clear cut signal that Montreal’s inability to deal with Club America’s aerial prowess had carried over from the first leg. The chance originated from another ball floated into the box. It was misjudged by the Impact defender at the far post and headed back across goal to leave the Olympic Stadium holding its collective breath.
To say that crosses and set pieces continued to cause nervous moments for Montreal is stating the obvious.
What will no doubt leave Frank Klopas and his staff fuming is how his side was unable to grab a vital second even though they managed to fill the void left in between the midfield and defensive lines. Jose Guerrero and Aguilar were both guilty of tactical fouls as Piatti and Dominic Oduro were enjoying the space afforded to them.
Guerrero got away with a second tactical foul that should have led to his second booking, but to blame the referee would be harsh considering the stakes and a desire to keep all 22 men on the field.
Piatti is also at fault as he should have played Oduro behind the Super Eagles’ back-line on more than one occasion. To say the former Copa Libertadores winner was the only culpable suspect, however, would be a great injustice.
The question has to be asked is this: If Club America looked panicked whenever Montreal ran at a shaky back-line, then why weren’t more Impact player’s getting in on the act? The goal at the Estadio Azteca came when Dilly Duka jumped into the action and tonight it was Romero who joined the party.
With a few more passes and a few more players clogging up the vacuum, Club America might have been over-run. Perhaps the lesson got lost on the trip home. Possibly somewhere over Kansas.
The other reason, especially prevalent in the second half at both cavernous stadiums, is that Montreal did a terrible job of keeping possession.
As the visitors pressed, clearances were simply clearances rather than balls played out of the back with a purpose. This is why the Impact could continue to struggle when it turns its attention back to Major League Soccer, the inability to play the ball out of the back under pressure is unacceptable and has been since the end of the 1980s.
Club America didn’t need 44 minutes of the second half for the equalizer this time around. Benedetto’s special contortion act and banger of a volley came just five minutes after the interval as the tide turned in a very familiar fashion.
While many were quick to blame Bakary Soumare for letting the cross (the goal came from a cross?! No Way!) float over his head, one has to wonder what Reo-Coker was doing jogging back, a good 15 yards behind the play. Sure a center-back should never misjudge the flight of a ball, but shouldn’t an outside back always be sprinting back to get between the man and the far post?
With that, the tables had truly turned, but they turned on the same premiss of not only Montreal’s inability to keep possession, but continuing to try the same tired route forward, looking for Piati or Oduro rather than holding the ball in midfield. A transition game was always going to favor a faster and more skilled Club America.
As the visitors stretched the game, the openings in between the lines were now there for Club America’s fast forwards and quick thinking midfield to take full control.
Two goals in two minutes not only kept the CONCACAF Champions League trophy (where it has been all seven years) in Mexico, but showed the breakdowns, and Club America’s ability to exploit them.
Four minutes after the hour mark and Reo-Coker was caught ball watching again. This time he was in a much more precarious position as the ball floated over his head to Darwin Quintero who headed it back across goal for Oribe Peralta to head home.
The game was iced just two minutes later as Montreal conceded possession and the Super Eagles flew past an experienced but slow back-line yet again. Perhaps it’s too harsh to pick on Reo-Coker for being pinched too far in, but it left the space open for the always marauding Samudio to play the ball across for Benedetto to tap in his second and America’s third.
The other question that needs to be asked is, if Reo-Coker needed to pinch in to help Soumare, where was the help from Romero or Calum Mallace? Maybe that’s just how quickly Montreal gave the ball away and how fast Club America was able to break.
Benedetto grabbed his hat-trick ten minutes from time. The 24-year-old Argentine did well at the top of the box to pull the ball back behind the defensive line, but in front of the Impact midfielders before lashing his shot from the top of the box beyond a helpless Kristian Nicht. As stated before, it didn’t matter who was in goal for the Impact.
While Montreal’s failings were taken advantage of from a higher octane side, focus turns to the bench. Did Klopas and his staff do enough?
From a player standpoint, Laurent Ciman made the point after the game that there just weren’t that many players available and the coaching staff had to make tough decisions. That is very true, especially when your holding midfielder has to play right-back.
Yet the substitutions warrant a look.
Jack McInerney came in for Marco Donadel in the 67th minute. After the damage had been done. It’s fair to say this is said in hindsight, but the truth is Donadel offered little going forward and, not surprisingly, was playing a dangerous game with continuous and often nonsensical fouls. This is a change that could have been made at halftime, especially with the Italian already on a yellow card. Even so, Montreal did not utilize McInerney as the alternative outlet to the only other two players with any real license to attack until it was way too late.
Maxim Tissot coming on for Donny Toia a minute later seemed to be a necessity because of injury as the former Chivas USA man laid down out of bounds and yelled an expletive as the training team raced over to tend to him.
By the time Patrice Bernier came on for Calum Mallace, the Montreal midfield had already raised the white flag, but Bernier had little of an impact in either leg. Club America’s tying goal last week came after he entered the game and failed on numerous attempts to keep the ball. This time Bernier was simply out there to see out the game and try and stop the bleeding. It only worsened two minutes after he stepped into the limelight of a quickly emptying Olympic Stadium.
Klopas can not be blamed for the loss based on the substitutions, but rather the fact that the proper adjustments never seemed to be made.
Something is wrong if the first leg (which was considered a huge success) seemed so eerily similar to the second. Montreal did not improve on defending set pieces, dealing with crosses, or handling the delayed runs of the Mexican side’s forwards. Nor did the Impact do a good enough job of taking advantage in the few areas where they could exploit the Super Eagles.
That the possession was just as poor and there was no commitment to keeping the ball after winning it back, thus getting thrown into the transition game that allowed the Super Eagles to soar in the final 45 minutes of both halves is where the coaching staff should be judged. Even more harshly so tonight, considering this was on Montreal’s home turf in all literal senses of the word.
Perhaps there is another way to look at this. The Super Eagles were simply superior. Their players were better, faster, more skilled and quicker in thought. That the Liga MX is still way ahead of Major League Soccer. That the hat-trick was scored by a 24-year-old who along with his teammates is either up-and-coming or at the peak of his powers. Benedetto’s goals were scored on a side full of experienced players, who’s glory days already took place in Germany, France and England alongside youngsters such as Toia and Duka.
Agree or disagree with either argument, but what can be a general consensus is that tonight was a hard pill to swallow for MLS fans on both sides of the Canadian-US border.
