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Victor Wanyama will be hoping to be involved in this weekend’s crucial clash against Portland Timbers after being snubbed in the last three games as CF Montreal seek an MLS playoff spot
CF Montreal coach Hernan Losada has called on his players to show character with the MLS playoff race wide open with two games to go.
Losada saw his side score a 97th-minute equaliser, netted by Lassi Lappalainen, to secure a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo on Thursday morning, which earned them a crucial point in the playoff race.
Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama was an unused substitute in the match after coming off the bench in last Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Orlando City.
With two games left in the regular season, Montreal (11-16-5) are ninth in the Eastern Conference and occupy the second wild-card spot with several teams breathing down their neck.
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Only four points separate the eighth and 13th-placed teams, meaning any points could make the difference at this stage, hence the call from Losada for his charges to rise to occasion when they host the Portland Timbers.
“Everything is open now. The playoff spots are wide open, and we’ll need everyone on Saturday,” said Losada.
“Especially at home, we have to bring everything to win. Unfortunately, we have to be content with one point, so it’s up to us believe that it’s possible.”
Wanyama will hope to be among the ‘everyone’ that Losada was referring to after playing a bit-part role in the last two months.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton midfielder was not involved in four straight matches before being handed a rare start in Montreal’s 1-1 draw with Cincinnati on September 21 but has fallen down the pecking order again, only featuring as a substitute in one of the subsequent three matches.
After starting the season as one of the best home teams in the MLS, Montreal’s trouble scoring is the key reason they have only won two games in their last eight league matches at Stade Saputo, scoring seven goals in that stretch.
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17:00 - 09.09.2023
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They will need to improve greatly in the final two games to nail down a playoff spot which will give them a chance to compete for the MLS title.
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