CF Montreal: Samuel Piette believes that humility is at the heart of the club’s success
The deep transformation achieved within CF Montreal has paid off in a big way in 2022, as the Montreal XI head into the playoffs representing one of the biggest threats in MLS.
Six days before hosting Orlando City SC at Saputo Stadium, one of the club’s great leaders, Quebecer Samuel Piette, was passing through The Antechamber Monday to discuss how far we’ve come in recent months.
“The most important point was continuity, stability, first argued the 27-year-old athlete. The fact that Wilfried Nancy returned with his staff, we created a good foundation with roughly the same group of players and a substantially similar system. In 2021, we fell a few points from a place in the playoffs. It is precisely against Orlando, this famous last match.
“There were things to correct (compared to last season), and it has been corrected. We now have a chance to catch up next Sunday. »
Piette assures that his teammates take pride in not getting too excited despite the irresistible successes obtained during the 34 games of the regular schedule. In this sense, humility is a strong character trait in the locker room.
“Yes, we start the playoffs this week. But for us, the idea is to see this match against any other. We face an MLS club having won several games in a row. The stakes are higher, but our philosophy is to take it one game at a time. There is no point in projecting yourself too far, like at the MLS Cup for example. »
However, this is not a reason to stop dreaming of a first MLS final in the history of the club, which joined the Garber circuit in 2012.
“The final is accessible for us this year, hammered Piette. I think we’ve proven to the rest of the league, to ourselves and to our city, to our fans that it’s doable. At the same time, you should not look too far so as not to get burned. We start with Orlando, and if we win this game, we will play at home again, which is a good thing. »
No big egos in the locker room
The defensive midfielder said he is aware of the perception coming from outside that the CFM is betting on a weaker squad than some of the other powerhouses in the league. However, he refuses to make a big deal out of it.
“I think the group we have, in terms of the locker room, the chemistry, the cohesion, it’s super important. We’re all on the same page and we don’t have big egos. But we still have quality in Victor Wanyama and Djordje Mihailovic, who has just been sold to a club in the Netherlands. He is starting to regain the erratic pace he had at the start of the season. We can also think of Romell Quioto and Kei Kamara. In his case, no one would have imagined that his contribution would be so important. »
“As a leader and captain, it is to advocate this humility that we have. The fact that we are not betting on high quality elements according to people’s perception, we have to rely on hard work. These are the values of the club, those of Quebec, to play for the community and for ourselves, ”he continued on the same subject.
Is this perceived lack of quality within the Montreal workforce what explains why some still have doubts, even after a superb record of 20 wins, 5 draws and 9 losses?
“Without saying that we are underestimated, I think that we are not recognized as much as we should be. Is it because we are a Canadian club, the only francophone club? Seems like we’ve often been the underdogs of MLS. Is it because we form a small market? I think we prove that we are a club to be taken seriously. There have been changes in the field and in the offices. It did everyone a lot of good. »
« The best marketing is success, so we’re taking advantage of that right now, » he wisely pointed out. We’re riding the wave, and we hope to stretch it until November 5th. »
