MONTREAL — After a 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union, the Montreal Impact embarks on a second consecutive three-game week.
Impact coach Remi Garde and his squad will take advantage of the short preparation to quickly turn the page. The Impact’s loss last week to the Philadelphia Union was the second biggest blow to the team this season — after the 5-1 result to Sporting Kansas City.
“We need to turn the page, I said it after the game. We can’t control things that we did, only analyze them,” Garde said. “I think that we could have done better. In terms of attitude and state of mind, we could have done better. We need to take lessons out of it and we know we can do better.”
The Impact will take on the New England Revolution Wednesday, an eighth road game out of nine games played.
“It’s a situation that we’ve known from the beginning, so we try to adapt,” Garde said. “But I’ll repeat: stringing road games is still not as easy as when we play at home from time to time. We can, after a game on the road, confirm a good result and good work before heading back on the road. Now we really are in a difficult stint.”
The Impact have a 3-3-2 record after eight games, placing them sixth in the Eastern conference. Given the 1-2-2 record the team has without Ignacio Piatti, Garde was optimistic with his team’s start.
“The last game was not up to par with what we wanted, but if we review what we’ve done up until now, it isn’t negative,” Garde said. “Especially with the next two games, we have the opportunity to make it even more positive, because in the end we are only three points away from first place.”
Offensive woes: Piatti still missed
The Impact have only scored two goals in their last five games. Saphir Taider scored in the team’s 7-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City while Harry Novillo got the game-winner in the home opener. The team has found a way not to lose every game in Piatti’s absence, but has struggled to score.
“I won’t understate the absence of our best player,” Garde said. “Because I know that in MLS if you take away the best player from each team — I know that on seven or eight games, we’ve played five or six games without Nacho, most of them on the road — I’m not sure the results will be the same for these teams either. We hope that we’ll have him with us soon because he’s a very important element.”
One player who has yet to score for the Impact is Maxi Urruti. The Argentine was praised by his coach and teammates for his defensive effort but hasn’t gotten a goal. Urruti has yet to hit double digits in the shots column, having only eight with three hitting the target.
“I think that he is a bit too isolated at times,” Garde said of his striker. “Support doesn’t come quick enough and the team doesn’t move up close enough to him when we manage to find him. When we will have more home games with an even greater ball possession in the opposing half I think that he will have more opportunities to shine offensively.”
Omar Browne: Paperwork process still ongoing
Omar Browne, the Impact’s newest signing, may not be available for Wednesday’s game. The Panamanian’s paperwork to get a work visa is still ongoing, but Garde remained optimistic about getting the process done by the time the team leaves Tuesday.
“I will have more details tonight regarding that,” Garde said. “The process is ongoing, I have good faith that he will be available [for the New England Revolution game].”