SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica – A week off from MLS duties and a little Costa Rican sunshine can do wonders for the health.
The mood is light among Montreal Impact players and staff, who landed in Costa Rica on Saturday ahead of Tuesday’s second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal tie against Alajuelense (Tuesday, 10pm ET, FOX Sports 2, Unimás).
With no game this weekend, Montreal took the week to prepare and heal, and assistant coach Mauro Biello was pleased to tell reporters that Montreal are, a couple of long-term injuries aside, close to a clean bill of health.
“We had a lot of injuries, but I think everyone has recovered,” Biello said on Sunday afternoon. “If we’d had to play a game this weekend, it would have been difficult to manage the roster. We had this chance to get everyone back healthy and prepare for this game.”
Those who have closely followed Montreal’s Champions League run will remember halftime of the first leg against Alajuelense, when Dilly Duka came off with a left quad strain. Duka has been an important asset in the competition, scoring twice in Pachuca in the first leg of the quarterfinals and locking down Montreal's left flank with Donny Toia. After missing the last two weeks, Duka is progressing in his recovery, recently taking part in several training sessions.
“I strained my quad a couple of days before the game against Alajuelense,” Duka said. “This is very important. This Champions League series is very important. I took time off. I don’t know if I’m going to play. I don’t know what the situation is. We haven’t even talked about that. But it’s just really important to get everyone healthy for these games. This is an important time.”
Two significant Impact players have also returned from international duty, with defenders Laurent Ciman and Maxim Tissot both in Costa Rica following stints with Belgium and Canada, respectively.
Their returns mean the usual suspects will likely start on the back line, but other decisions – some unrelated to injuries – loom elsewhere on the field.
Alajuelense’s game plan, at 2-0 down, is predictable, and Montreal have to decide how they will line up to exploit space that will open up. Dominic Oduro has been in form on the right wing, but he raised a good tactical point on Sunday.
“Definitely, there will be space in behind if they try to come up front,” Oduro said. “I think, right now, the question is: Will my speed be OK playing up top or playing on the wing? It is going to be a factor because of how I’m going to utilize it or how the team shape is going to utilize that speed. It’s something I will try to work on right now. Hopefully we’ll find an answer to it, and we have to exploit that space. They will give us that space.”
