Playing with a lead tends to be a good thing for CF Montreal, and they are hoping to keep that trend going.
Charlotte FC haven’t always excelled after moving ahead in games, so scoring first hasn’t been rewarded regularly.
The teams are set to meet Saturday night in Charlotte.
Montreal (8-9-1, 25 points) has won its last two games with shutouts of Minnesota and Nashville.
“We are comfortable with getting the lead,” Montreal defender Joel Waterman said. “Sometimes it doesn’t go as planned and we need to find other ways to win. That’s what the team keeps doing.”
Charlotte (6-8-5, 23 points) is on a four-game winless streak (0-2-2), with the inability to lock down defensively the biggest problem facing the team.
“I think the challenge we have is to play our game,” Charlotte coach Christian Lattanzio said. “I think we have a lot more football in us. It’s a road that we’re going through.”
Lattanzio said he’s hopeful and positive because he sees a higher ceiling for his team.
“I love the character that they show and they play with personality,” Lattanzio said. “But we didn’t play our game. That’s one thing we have to improve. I think we have a lot more in ourselves.”
Charlotte had a 2-0 halftime lead turn into a 2-2 tie against the host New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night.
Charlotte had plenty of highlights in Wednesday’s game, most notably a brace from Benjamin Bender in the game’s opening 19 minutes.
Bender’s role hasn’t been expanded, though the game was certainly a breakthrough for the second-year player.
“Everything is a work in progress,” Bender said. “There’s going to be ups and downs and you just have to be mentally tough through it.”
There’s certainly confidence coming from Montreal’s squad. The challenge will be to create more scoring opportunities.
“Hopefully we continue like that because we can be dangerous in transition,” midfielder Victor Wanyama said. “We now know each other very well and whoever steps on the pitch, we have the connection.”
On Thursday, Charlotte signed Scott Arfield, a 34-year-old Canadian midfielder, though he won’t be available until after July 5 as part of the MLS secondary transfer window. By the second meeting with Montreal on July 15, Arfield should be eligible to play.
–Field Level Media
