The Montreal Impact may have lost both of their first two matches at the MLS is Back Tournament. That's where the similarities between the games end.
Now, as manager Thierry Henry's side approach their final Group C clash against D.C. United on Tuesday night (10:30 pm ET | ESPN2, TUDN in the US; TSN in Canada), he says the next step is converting that improved mentality his squad showed in a 4-3 loss to Toronto FC last Thursday into an improved result.
"We have to be positive, we have to go forward, we have to believe in what we are trying to do and we have to trust the process," Henry said during Sunday's virtual press conference. "Now we have to be better in that process. Obviously dealing with the counter better. But we want to be a team that’s going to possess the ball and put pressure when we lose it. And for a time we did that extremely well against Toronto."
The Impact need a victory — potentially by multiple goals — and some help to stay alive in the tournament. Three points would keep Montreal alive for one of the top four third-place group finishes that could qualify Henry's side for the last 16, and the three goals they've scored already might help them edge other clubs one of the standings tiebreakers.
"We want to go out there and win it, so we’ll go all in," said Impact midfielder Samuel Piette. "That’s for sure. We know that there’s no other results that can get us through besides a win, so we want to go there and win. After that, if we have to win by two or three goals, I leave that to the coaching staff to do the mathematics."
Montreal were one of the later teams in MLS permitted to resume full-team training following the break in the 2020 regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That has led Henry to lean heavily on the club's sports science staff he admits, something he didn't have at his disposal during his playing days for Arsenal and Barcelona.
That said, his experience also tells his team's mindset is still crucially important as they try to salvage something from this tournament, likely more so than usual given the circumstances.
"It was vital to have those guys and still is difficult because of the reasons that we talked about," Henry said of his club's sports science staff. "But don’t underestimate the mental aspect of the game. Because staying in the same place for so long, for such a long time, while you are tired, it is not that easy. It is not that easy at all."
