MONTREAL — Talk about a Revolution.
CF Montreal was handed its worst home defeat since 2009, suffering a 5-0 rout against the New England Revolution on Saturday night in Major League Soccer action.
Bobby Wood scored twice in the first half, while Nick Lima, Giacomo Vrioni and Luca Langoni added singles in the second half for the Revolution, who entered the match as the last-place team in the Eastern Conference.
With their fifth home loss of the season, Montreal (6-11-10) has now won just four times in 14 games at Stade Saputo.
“They were better than us in every aspect, and that’s it,” said defender Joel Waterman. The veteran central defender did not mince words as team defending continued to be a serious problem for the club.
“Nothing was said (in the locker room), there was nothing to say so it’s onto the next game. I think there were moments where we could’ve scored too, but that’s the difference between a close game and a 5-0 blowout.”
While the match got off to a relatively even back-and-forth, the Revolution would be the ones to score first, finding the back of the net seven minutes into the match.
After finding space on the right flank, Brandon Bye sent a perfect low cross that found Wood’s extended foot. Montreal would use that as a wake-up call, growing into the game quickly and taking over the tempo with creative passing and sharp movement. While that created several chances, Montreal's final touch was still missing.
“We put a lot of emphasis on the transition and the shape. Maybe (the lack of a proper striker starting) was also a factor,” said head coach Laurent Courtois.
“I feel like in the second half we had a lack of ideas, especially against a deep block. That’s undeniable.”
Just after the 30-minute mark, the Revolution doubled their lead and Wood secured his brace in one of the more unconventional goals of his career. After receiving the ball in the goal area with his back to net, Wood went to the ground with the ball still in-between his legs. As a mad scramble ensued, the ball managed to trickle into the net giving New England a 2-0 lead.
Montreal began the second half with extra energy, taking over the tempo and looking for a way back into the game. Less than 10 minutes after the restart, substitute Lassi Lappalainen had the home side's best opportunity of the game but sent a point-blank shot off the bar.
As Montreal continued to look for a goal, the Revolution were content with sitting deep and hitting back on the counter.
“I think we were all subpar today, I think we came out well in the second, we just missed some chances and after a fourth or fifth goal, you just have to stop the bleeding,” said captain Samuel Piette.
“At the end of the day, we’re the players out there playing on the field, so I think the blame is 100 per cent on us in all honesty. It’s inexplicable and unforgivable.”
With roughly 15 minutes left in regular time, Lima put the game out of reach. The Revolution were not done, however, adding two more from Vrioni and Langoni to complete the rout.
The result makes Montreal’s path to the playoffs all the more difficult, sitting in 11th position. With five of their eight final games coming against clubs in direct competition for a playoff spot, every point won will be all the more crucial, as will every point lost.
UP NEXT
Both teams are back in action on Aug. 31 as Montreal travels to Ohio to take on the Eastern Conference giants Cincinnati FC, while New England continues its road trip against Real Salt Lake.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2024.
Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press
