FC Montreal: Saturday Morning at the Big-O

Impact & FC Montreal Hold Intrasquad Game at Olympic Stadium

SportsTristan D’Amours — Published February 13, 2016 | Updated February 14, 2016 at 2:11am

The only difference was a lack of animosity, as even the Ultras, the supporters for both Montreal clubs, alternated chants between the two sides.

The game, which consisted of four 30 minute periods, saw few goals. In the cumulative two hours of play, the teams tied 1-1.

Jamaican international and recurring USL loanee last season Romario Williams scored for the Impact whereas under-18 academy product Jimmy Shammar scored for FC Montreal.

FC Montreal head coach Philippe Eullaffroy and his squad held strong against Montreal, retaining possession of the ball while not showing signs of intimidation. FC Montreal held their ground for the first two periods, but the Impact finally scored in the third period.

“That’s what we work for. We work every week, every day, every hour to get to a quality, a coherence, and an identity on the pitch,” said Eullaffroy. “We are not surprised and especially against a team that also likes to play and not close the game which has a similar identity and style of play it makes for game that are pleasing to watch.”

On his side, first team coach Mauro Biello liked what he saw from the USL squad. He understood the meaning of a preseason intrasquad game for the younger players, having been in the same situation with the Impact when he was a player.

“I know all of those players and there are some good players. Every time you play against the first team, you’re going to give a little more,” said Biello.

Eullaffroy noted his team is “ahead” of the Impact in terms of preparation, as his team has already played three friendlies against Canadian university opposition: A 2-1 loss to the third ranked university team in Canada, UQAM, a 3-2 win against Université Laval, and a 4-0 win against Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.

“We are ahead of them. We started in early January so we have three games behind us already so you can feel it in the collectiveness,” said Eullaffroy. “They are at the start of their preparation, it’s their second game so it’s normal that we are ahead of the pros.”

A surprising addition to the FC Montreal lineup Saturday morning was the Impact’s second round draft pick and Belize international striker Michael Salazar. Questions were raised as to his future with the Impact and if a season in United Soccer League was something more realistic for him, something that Eullaffroy wouldn’t say no to.

“He has an interesting profile,” said Eullaffroy. “With the scoring opportunities he can create, it’s interesting but for now it’s up to Mauro [Biello] and Adam [Braz] to see what will happen next.”

Biello didn’t make up his mind yet but seeing Salazar with FC Montreal was a calculated decision. “I wanted to see him against the first team, against Laurent [Ciman] and Victor Cabrera and he did well. It was an opportunity to see him and we will take a decision on him.”

Impact technical director Adam Braz is happy with Salazar but hasn’t made a decision yet. “He will continue with us in Tampa Bay and we’ll continue to monitor his progress and see how that fits in at the end of camp and what we can do with him.”

With FC Montreal’s preseason extending until March, Eullaffroy’s squad will only play its first game of the season on March 25 as they will take on Bethlehem Steel FC at the Olympic Stadium.