MONTREAL – Decreasing the tempo during a two-week break? Not a chance, according to Montreal Impact head coach Jesse Marsch.
“I actually called training a little short, because it was so competitive, I was worried they were going to kill each other,” Marsch said with a satisfied grin on Tuesday.
If it were up to them, the Impact would have already jumped back on the field for competitive action. Meanwhile, they are making it clear among themselves that, with part of their postseason destiny out of their hands, there has to be no let-up.
“We can’t drop any more points, we know that,” defender Jeb Brovsky said. “We have to put pressure on the other teams.”
Through Marsch’s 14-year career in MLS, he grew to know how “intense and fun” the last weeks of the season can be. His men’s spirit and mindset is strong at the moment, he observes, and they are pushing themselves hard to tackle the task at hand, beginning Saturday in Chicago.
“It’s going to be exciting to see what happens down the stretch,” Marsch said. “And I wouldn’t bet against us.”
Reserve League success complements entire Impact roster
Montreal completed their MLS Reserve League schedule with a 2-0 win at D.C. United on Tuesday, thanks to Calum Mallace’s second strike in two games and an insurance goal from Impact icon Eduardo Sebrango.
“We’ve felt good about our whole roster for a while, and it’s proven to be true with the results in the reserve games,” Marsch said.
The players and coaches that had stayed back in Montreal were delighted with the news which, they feel, illustrates how all the players stand together and inspire each other.
“Guys interchange, you know,” Brovsky added. “We’ve all played in reserve matches, and they've all been in first-team matches. We’re all on the same team, we’re all checking up on each other.”
Montreal now sit atop the Reserve League standings with 22 points, but three teams (Columbus, Houston and Dallas) could still match or exceed that points total.
