We found this sequence of 11 games in 36 days like a healthy skunk. Now that the closing stages have begun, it would be normal for the players to think about the bye week after Saturday night’s game. However, they have other plans.

The Bleu-blanc-noir made a brief stopover for a training session at the Center Nutrilait in Montreal on Monday before traveling to Vancouver on Wednesday to play in the Canadian Championship final.

At stake for CF Montreal is an opportunity to win the Season 12 Voyageurs Cup^e times in its history and secured a place in the Concacaf Champions League as the best team in Canada. These are two rewards that will quickly make you forget the tiredness of the last few weeks.

“It’s a great opportunity for us. It means a lot to us to win this trophy and to know that we are the best team in the country this year. “The whole group is motivated and we are ready for this final,” said midfielder Mathieu Choinière.

“It’s the most important game of my career,” added goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois. It’s a huge opportunity to play in the Concacaf Champions League. It allows us to play games with an incredible atmosphere and create unforgettable moments as we have done in the past. »

Choinière and Sirois didn’t really have a chance to catch their breath in this difficult phase that began in early May. Both started the first eight games before being given a well-deserved time-out on Saturday. However, the two Quebecers should find their place in the formation on Wednesday.

Her performance during this series is a testament to how effectively the team’s coaches and medical staff worked together to ensure each player was able to give their maximum while also being given the time they needed to rest and recover.

“It’s the hardest workload I’ve ever had in my career, but I felt good in all the games,” said Choinière. The staff did the right thing to ensure all players came to games in good shape. After games there is always a 48 hour period when we are more tired but the staff gave us good rest and massages to get back in shape. »

CF Montreal head coach Hernan Losada knew what he was doing on Saturday night when he decided to rest most of his regular players. His actions followed his speech during the Canadian championship: it’s a very important tournament for him and even more important than an MLS game.

From the first game of the Canadian Championship against the Vaughan Azzurri, Losada had fielded a competitive 11. He continued on this path in the quarterfinals against Toronto FC and in the semifinals against Forge FC.

The Argentine gave several underused players good minutes in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat by Union in Philadelphia. He’s hoping that’ll be enough for his trusted players to tank again in Vancouver.

“I expect 100% energy from the rested players in Philadelphia. What is certain is that the program with the trip, the whole series of games so far and the fact that we are playing against a team that has played both home games is not the best for us. However, there is much resilience, unity and will in this group. We’ll try everything to stay competitive,” said Losada.

In the last few weeks, training has often been lighter in order to save energy. It was not uncommon for players deployed in games to warm up outside of the group and engage in less strenuous drills.

Losada expects fewer busy weeks so he can return to giving more technical advice to the whole group.

“In the next training sessions we will focus our attention on the last pass, the decisive pass and the work in the last third. That’s the most difficult thing in football and those are things that need to be improved. “We need to be more efficient and try to create more chances than before,” he concluded.