By Canadian Press

Montreal feels it can kick fatigue, beat Forge FC on Wednesday

May 24, 2022 | 5:01 AM

MONTREAL — CF Montreal will have to put their recent dip in form behind them as the defence of their Canadian Championship title begins Wednesday against Canadian Premier League side Forge FC at Stade Saputo.

After two consecutive losses, Montreal has fallen from the top of the MLS Eastern Conference. They have had extraordinary success in the Canadian Championship however, not having lost since July of 2018 and claiming the last two Voyageurs Cups in the process.

“We had some struggles early on in the season and we recovered from those too,” said Montreal head coach Wilfried Nancy. “It’s not the end of the world, we’re going to look into it and start looking for the best solutions to approach the upcoming game.”

The club is in the middle of a five-game run that is taking place over the course of two weeks. With little rotation to the starting 11, tired legs and lapses in concentration have been presenting themselves more and more.

During the club’s most recent 2-1 loss at home to Real Salt Lake, defensive mishaps and an overall lack of offensive push while trailing were evident.

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“We looked tired out there. I know it’s not an excuse, but these are things that we need to be ready for,” said defender Rudy Camacho. “There’s two home games left, and we just have to push through and get the job done.”

Comparatively, Forge FC have got off to a slow start. The CPL regular-season champions and playoffs runners-up have struggled with injury and have been looking to find some form of consistency, having gone unbeaten in their last three games.

Both teams enjoy loads of possession and are not afraid of playing out from the back, promising a philosophical battle of wills in the opening stages of the game as both sides try to assert themselves.

Kickoff at Stade Saputo is scheduled for 7 p.m.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24.,. 2022

Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press