Following a tough 3-2 loss to the Charleston Battery, allowing a two goal lead to slip and conceding an injury time winner, the Baby Reds will be looking to rebound in a face-off with Canadian rivals FC Montreal at Olympic Stadium - the first in a new chapter of the ‘401 Derby’.
Head coach Jason Bent and the squad will want to bottle the first twenty minutes of the Charleston game and carry it over throughout a full ninety, having started with a high energy press on defence, stretching the field and creating space with off ball runs.
“This is a derby match, so it’ll be about controlling our emotions.” said Bent. “Even in our game against the first team [during training], there were certain situations where we lost our emotions and it impacted our play. We’ll need to be stronger mentally and get over mistakes quickly, but at the same time, we need to stick to our passing game. Outside of the first 20-25 minutes, that got away from us in Charleston.”
One area that will need extreme focus is set piece defending. With captain Chris Mannella and goalkeeper Quillan Roberts on international duty with the Canada Men’s national team for games against Guatemala and Puerto Rico.
“It’s the nature of the beast,” said Bent after training. “This is the nature of how TFC II is set up, we want to give opportunities for players to move up to the first team and this is why the team is here. With regards to us, we’ll be looking to a number of players to take on more responsibility and have that leadership role within the team.”
What to expect from FC Montreal
Having played last season in the Premier Development League (PDL) under head coach Philippe Eullaffroy, as Montreal Impact U-23, FC Montreal comes in with a good mix of talent that has been enhanced with players from the U-17/U-18 team playing its games in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy league (USSDA). Coming in with an understanding of Eullaffroy’s system should be an asset, especially when considering the step up in competition.
During Montreal’s time in the PDL, there were a few standout players that will be looking to make an impression within FC MTL this year. Two players in particular that could pose a major threat to TFC II’s defence are forward Frédéric Lajoie-Gravelle and midfielder Victor N’diane, Lajoie-Gravelle has proven himself to this point in his development as a finisher scoring 16 goals in the PDL for the the U-23’s on his way to being named Breakthrough Player of the Year. N’Diaye played the role of provider that season and was the main supply line on offence, leading the U-23’s with 14 assists and has carried over this positive play during FC Montreal’s preseason scoring the game-tying goal in a 1-1 draw with Tampa Bay Rowdies of NASL.
Individual Match-Up to Watch
When it comes to one-on-one battles, a duel to keep an eye on might be Jordan Hamilton vs. Marco Dominguez. This will be one for Canadian national team fans to savour, both quickly rising up within the national program and have also featured as teammates on the 2013 U-17 World Cup squad.
In the Charleston game, one of the Reds major strengths was defending from the front with high pressure, Hamilton being the catalyst in forcing the Battery into playing a long ball game. This is an approach that Bent will want his men to duplicate against FC Montreal, being a team that likes to play out of the back through its central defenders and deeper midfielder like Dominguez. Seen as one of Montreal’s brightest prospects, Dominguez has made his name so far on the defensive side of the ball. He helps shield the back four, but is also capable as an outlet to start attacks with accurate passing. The key for Hamilton and TFC II in stopping him is getting him out of his comfort zone, forcing him to work, think and cover a lot of ground via switching the point of attack or quickly striking on counters.
Long stretches of the game will be determined by which team displays the best balance, showing an ability to be solid defensively when soaking up pressure but also knowing when to be the aggressors in attack with combination passing and through balls into space. In a derby game, depth could also play its part. TFC II have added six new academy call ups in Raheem Thorpe, Matteo Reshepo, Raheem Edwards, Jordan Montoya, Filippo Di Bennado and Martin Davis to get their first taste of professional soccer - with it coming an opportunity to make a mark against a bitter rival.
Bent was particularly glowing of Thorpe, a player that hasn’t been with the club very long but has impressed in a short period of time.
“Raheem Thorpe is a player coming up that hasn’t been here very long but shows some promise and can be very exciting,” said Bent about the young prospect. “He has such a laid back mentality that is seems like things don’t really phase him and he never shows nerves, he just goes out and expresses himself on the pitch.”
You can catch the first USL edition of the ‘401 Derby’ on Saturday, March 28th at 12:30PM via livestream on torontofc.ca.
