By Canadian Press

Montreal Impact look to return to winning ways against San Jose Earthquakes

Jul 13, 2018 | 1:45 PM

MONTREAL — Midfielder Samuel Piette knows the Montreal Impact need to put their mid-week defeat behind them if they hope to keep challenging for a playoff position.

Piette is confident the sixth-place Impact can rebound from Wednesday’s 3-0 rout in New York City when they host the struggling San Jose Earthquakes in MLS action on Saturday.

The loss to NYCFC snapped Montreal’s four-game winning streak.

“We have to forget about Wednesday — not what we did, but the result,” said Piette, who has started all 20 matches for Montreal this season. “We have to bounce back right away (Saturday) and go back to basics. We’ve been having good performances at Saputo Stadium so it’s important to get a result, erase that loss and go back on a winning streak.

“We have to play like we’re still on a winning streak. I mean, I know we’re not, but if we can win (Saturday), Wednesday’s loss will be long forgotten.”

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The Impact (8-12-0) were hoping for at least a draw at Yankee Stadium but three second-half goals in quick succession handed Montreal its first defeat in a month.

In the thick of a busy schedule, Impact coach Remi Garde rested some of his regular starters like Chris Duvall, Daniel Lovitz and Matteo Mancosu. The result was a lack of cohesion and chemistry that overwhelmed the visitors after halftime.

Centre back Rudy Camacho, who missed the last two games with a calf injury, will be back in the lineup Saturday. The 27-year-old Frenchman says the loss in New York has not dampened Montreal’s spirits.

“We have to quickly forget that game and move on to the next one,” said Camacho, who joined Montreal in the off-season. “The confidence is still there, we haven’t lost it because of one game. We’re going back to basics (Saturday) and we’ll win the game in front of our fans.”

On paper, Saturday is the perfect scenario for an Impact team looking to win its fifth consecutive game at home.

The Earthquakes (2-10-6) are last in the Western Conference and have the second-worst record in Major League Soccer behind D.C. United, who have four games in hand.

The Quakes are 1-6-3 on the road this season and have not won a game in more than two months. They’ve gone 0-5-4 in MLS since defeating Minnesota back on May 12.

To make matters worse for the visitors, leading goal scorer Danny Hoesen is questionable for Saturday’s game. The San Jose striker, who has 10 goals this season, left last week’s game with an undisclosed injury after colliding with an opponent.

That all bodes well for an Impact side fighting for the final playoff spot in the East. Montreal is tied on points with seventh-place Philadelphia (24). Chicago, in eighth place, is one point behind them (23).

Still, Duvall says it would be unwise to take the Earthquakes lightly.

“I’ve watched a lot of their games,” he said before practice on Friday. “They’ve got good players just like every team in this league. They’ve struggled to put a string of good results together. They played well against good teams and just haven’t gotten the results. We can’t overlook this team. They’re going to be a good challenge.

“Right now we’re on a good run and we want to make sure to bring the same intensity to the game no matter who we’re playing. When you’re riding momentum like this, you don’t want to let it slip.”

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SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (2-10-6) at MONTREAL IMPACT (8-12-0)

Saturday, Saputo Stadium

HISTORY ON THEIR SIDE: The Impact are 3-1-2 all-time against the Earthquakes, with all three of those victories coming on home soil.

NO SKIDS: Impact coach Remi Garde’s men have not lost consecutive games since the end of May.

BUSY SCHEDULE: Montreal plays five times in the next 14 days, including two mid-week clashes against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship semifinal.

WIN OR LOSE: Montreal remains the only team in MLS this season without a draw.

SAN JOSE SORROW: The Earthquakes’ current nine-game winless run is nowhere near a club record. They went 16 games without a win between the end of the 2014 season and the start of the 2015 season.

Kelsey Patterson, The Canadian Press

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