Slumping Impact hope win over Earthquakes will quell comparisons to 2013

MONTREAL — It’s starting to look like a repeat of the great collapse of 2013 for the Montreal Impact.

The team was flying high with a 10-4-4 record by June 19 that year but then went into a tailspin that dropped them to fifth place, where they needed a tiebreaker to take the final Eastern Conference playoff spot from the Chicago Fire. They were never in their lone post-season game, losing 3-0 in Houston.

Montreal began this season convinced they were championship contenders but, after a solid first half, went into another free fall with only one win in the last eight games (1-5-2). They are 0-3-1 in their last four home games, in which they were outscored 11-3.

Another defeat when the Impact (9-10-11) plays host to the lowly San Jose Earthquakes (7-9-13) on Wednesday night will put their playoff position in jeopardy again. 

“The feeling on the team is completely different than in 2013,” said Hassoun Camara, one of the few holdovers from 2013 along with captain Patrice Bernier, midfielder Calum Mallace, goalkeeper Evan Bush and defender Wandrille Lefevre (midfielder Hernan Bernardello was also on the 2013 squad in his first stint with the Impact, as was injured Andres Romero who has yet to play this season).

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Camara said the 2013 team seemed to lose games in their minds before they started, while optimism is still high on the current side despite its recent setbacks.

“We have to learn from our mistakes and be sure not to make them in the playoffs,” he said. “It starts (Wednesday) when we have to show we have the ambition to go to the playoffs. After that, anything can happen.”

The Impact sit fifth in the conference with four games left to play, only one point ahead of D.C. United and two ahead of New England.

But Camara disagrees that the situation is desperate.

“For us, no, for everyone else, yes,” he said. “We really want to go to the playoffs and we’re motivated.

“Yes we lost the last game (1-0 away to the New York Red Bulls) but the shape and our organization was good. We know we’re going through a bad stretch but we have the quality to go to the playoffs and show everybody we’re not dead. It’s exciting. We’ve already shown we can give good surprises for the fans and that’s what we want to do now.”

Their defensive woes have been evident but their attack has also gone dry. They have scored only six goals in their last eight games and do not have more than one goal in a game in their last 10, since a 5-1 victory over Philadelphia on July 23.

Against New York, Ignacio Piatti had a glittering chance seven minutes in and missed the net. Didier Drogba is also struggling.

“We have to work on it,” said fullback Ambroise Oyongo. “If Didier or Nacho (Piatti) can’t score, then the defenders or the midfield have to score.

“Sometimes we have to forget Didier or Nacho. They’re good players, but (we) also can score.”

It won’t be easy against San Jose. The Earthquakes are the lowest-scoring team in Major League Soccer with only 28 goals in 30 games, but they have the second-best defence with only 32 goals conceded.

The goal for Impact coach Mauro Biello is to control the game, get a clear victory and get their confidence back.

“We know the situation we’re in and where we are in the standings,” said Biello, who is well aware of the growing anxiety among the fans and the increasingly frequent references to 2013.

“It’s normal that fans are worried,” he said. “Their emotions are something we can’t control.

“A win would certainly help.”

Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press