Montreal now occupies the final wild-card berth with four games remaining in the regular season.
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CF Montréal is heating up just in time for a push into the Major League Soccer playoffs.
For midfielder Caden Clark, the key to their success is simple: remember to enjoy the game even as the pressure rises.
“I feel like I’m in a backyard playing soccer,” Clark said. “It’s really a joy for me to be around these guys and, hopefully, this is a late-season run that we can make the playoffs.”
Clark and Josef Martinez scored as CF Montréal defeated Chicago Fire FC 2-0 to earn three points on Saturday.
Martinez opened the scoring in the 21st minute to put Montreal ahead before Clark buried the insurance-marker in the 74th before an announced 19,619 spectators at Saputo Stadium.
Nathan Saliba, Kwadwo Opoku and captain Samuel Piette added assists as Montreal (8-12-10) extended its unbeaten run to three games (2-0-1) and moved from 13th to ninth in the Eastern Conference standings.
“The second you apply too much pressure to yourself, you ruin the game for yourself,” Clark said. “It’s really taking the responsibility to play your game, do your job, but as well, it’s a game. We call it work, but we come here and we kick a ball and we get paid for it, so just go out there and enjoy it.
“We’re bringing that joy back and that happiness back and you’re seeing it on the pitch with the goals we’re scoring.”
Montreal now occupies the final wild-card berth with four games remaining in the regular season.
Laurent Courtois’s side has 34 points, ahead of Philadelphia Union, Atlanta United and D.C. United, who all have 33. Philadelphia and D.C., however, have a game in hand and square off on Sunday.
In a season with multiple slumps, Courtois couldn’t explain why exactly Montreal’s fortune is starting to change, but pointed out he doesn’t believe he’s had any passengers in his squad of late.
“Nothing has changed, not what we’ve said, not the training, not in the way we approach games,” the head coach said. “The margins are really fine … as soon as the guys are at their level, that you have everyone giving minimum a six, not a couple giving a two, it can get interesting.”
Chicago (7-16-8) is in 14th with 29 points and one more game played than Montreal. But despite the high stakes, they failed to threaten goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois until late in the match.
Meanwhile, Montreal created offence with long passes in behind Chicago’s back line throughout the match.
Martinez just barely stayed onside to score his team-leading seventh of the season. The veteran striker corralled a long ball from Nathan Saliba into the box before slicing a half-volley past Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady.
“Finally,” Martinez said after going scoreless in five MLS games. “We’re strikers, every striker wants to score — that’s why we receive the bills.”
In the 37th minute, Bryce Duke went on the counterattack with numbers, but kept the ball instead of laying a through ball to Martinez and ultimately sailed his outside shot over the crossbar.
Chicago played cautiously, content holding the ball without pushing forward through 45 minutes. Montreal led the shot attempts five to one.
Montreal was back on the attack early in the second half as Piette found Clark on the left side of the box. Clark danced around a sliding Chicago defender Arnaud Souquet, but kicked his Grade A opportunity over the net.
Clark later got on the board with his second goal in three games. Opoku, who entered in the 72nd minute as a substitute, took a pass from Piette before finding Clark in alone.
The 21-year-old American, acquired by Montreal from Minnesota United FC on Aug. 8, showed poise with a cheeky chip over Brady to give Montreal the comfortable lead.
“Caden has been surprising, not only by his quality, but the work rate,” Courtois said. “The combativity, the aggressiveness on and off the ball is really important and good to see for us.”
Substitute Matias Coccaro nearly made it 3-0 in the 85th when he was sent on a breakaway, but Brady came out to challenge and stopped his attempt.
Sirois had a busy end to the match as Chicago pressed for a goal in the final minutes. He turned away a header from Thomas Barlow at the centre of the box, a dangerous shot by Souquet streaking down the right wing and a header by Tobias Salquist in the dying minutes.
Montreal hosts the San Jose Earthquakes next Saturday.