CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois insists his team still has belief despite stumbling to start the Major League Soccer season.
Montreal (0-3-0) sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with three straight losses to open the campaign ahead of Saturday鈥檚 match at D.C. United.
Sirois said he鈥檚 blocking out the negative noise on social media, but wanted to assure fans that Montreal is working tirelessly to get on track.
鈥淲e鈥檝e stepped things up in training, we鈥檙e working harder," he said on a video call Friday before the team travelled to Washington. "We still have confidence and we believe in our abilities within the team 鈥� the talent we have, the mentality we can bring."
Now Montreal needs to prove it in a match.
鈥淚t鈥檚 as simple as that,鈥� Sirois said. 鈥淭he beauty of football is that even if we lost our last three games, that doesn鈥檛 mean we鈥檙e going to lose the next three. Anything is possible.
鈥淲e just have to take it one match at a time, show more resilience and bounce back."
After reaching the wild-card round with a late-season surge in 2024, Montreal has scored twice while conceding eight goals in road losses to Atlanta United, Minnesota United and the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The club won鈥檛 play its home opener until April 12 against Charlotte FC 鈥� the eighth match this season 鈥� because Stade Saputo is not winterized.
Head coach Laurent Courtois said there鈥檚 a mix of emotions around the team after its slow start.
鈥淲e trust how we work, we know where we鈥檙e strong,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hen there鈥檚 the reality of results, and it鈥檚 been three matches where, even if I see positives collectively, we鈥檝e had one or two players having an off-game and that鈥檚 cost the team.
鈥淏ut as a group we鈥檙e in a much better place than in Minnesota, for example. We鈥檙e happy with the effort being put in. We鈥檙e lacking sharpness in the final third, but outside of some technical imprecision and defensive gaps, we鈥檙e satisfied with the work we鈥檝e done."
D.C. (1-0-2) is undefeated this season and ranks fifth in the East after beating Sporting KC 2-1 last week.
United boasts a dangerous attack led by Christian Benteke, who already has three goals this season.
The six-foot-three striker, who scored 86 goals in 10 Premier League seasons before joining the MLS side in 2022, leads the league with 27 aerial duels won.
He can create all sorts of problems in the box for Sirois and Montreal鈥檚 defence.
"I have to be excellent in the air, make good decisions when coming out. I need to be very aggressive but also effective,鈥� Sirois said. 鈥淢y communication is also key.
"If I keep an eye on things and can direct my defenders in the box, especially with Benteke since he's their biggest threat, then we can neutralize that through communication and man-marking, which will make our job a lot easier."
Courtois said his squad has worked on a strategy to help curb the number of crosses D.C. sends into the penalty area.
鈥淲e know they鈥檙e going to happen eventually, it鈥檚 just about limiting easy access and clear advantages from those crosses,鈥� he said.
"We know about Benteke鈥檚 aerial ability, but that鈥檚 not all. He鈥檚 actually a pretty complete player, beyond just his athletic strength, so there will be a lot to deal with,鈥� Courtois added. 鈥淭he whole team is much more attack-minded than last year, with a lot of players pushing forward. It鈥檚 going to be a dynamic game, but we also think they give up chances at the other end.鈥�
Injury-riddled Montreal could receive a boost from central midfielder Samuel Piette and centre back George Campbell joining the fray.
Piette, Montreal鈥檚 captain, missed the last two games with a hamstring issue while Campbell was out with a groin injury. Courtois said both players are close to returning.
Designated player Giacomo Vrioni (Groin), defender Jalen Neal (knee) and midfielder Hennadiy Synchuk (lower body) 鈥� three marquee off-season additions 鈥� remain out. Vrioni is ramping up his involvement in team training but Neal and Synchuk still need more time, Courtois said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
