Newly signed left back Tom Pearce could not have had a better home debut for CF Montréal in their group East 2 match against Atlético San Luis on Tuesday night at Stade Saputo.
Pearce scored a goal and assisted another as Montréal avoided elimination in the 2024 Leagues Cup with a 3-2 win over San Luis. The result means all three group competitors remain alive for a berth in the knockout round. San Luis plays Orlando City on Sunday to conclude group East 2 play.
San Luis did their homework. They saw how Orlando exploited Montréal’s mistakes to set up goal scoring chances. They actively pressed Montréal and generated a few chances of their own early in the match, but could not convert.
San Luis did not account, however, for Montréal to break the press.
Bryce Duke got in behind the defense on the right flank in the 17th minute and sent his cross all the way across the field to a wide-open Pearce, who had time to settle, pick his spot, and fire. The low, far-post shot sailed past San Luis goalkeeper Andrés Sánchez’s fingertips and into the side netting.
But Pearce, who was signed on free transfer two weeks ago, was not done there.
The English left back went from scorer to server thanks to his picture-perfect cross in the 27th minute, finding Matías Cóccaro inside the six-yard box. Cóccaro’s violent header slammed the ball into the top of the net, and the North Star Bell sang loud throughout Stade Saputo for the second time in 10 minutes.
“We knew that Montréal liked to run,” said San Luis assistant coach Jordi Guerrero, who spoke to the media in place of head coach Domènec Torrent after he received a post-match disciplinary action from the match officials. “Games play out that way. If you don’t score and they do, you leave spaces in attack for your opponent to exploit. If we would have been better up top, the match would have played out differently.”
Montréal turned the tables on San Luis with a press of their own that led to Cóccaro being taken down in the box by Sánchez for a penalty, but Sanchez redeemed himself by stopping Cóccaro’s shot. It was Montréal’s second missed penalty in Leagues Cup play.
San Luis were not without chances of their own: Vitinho had four good looks at goal, but the best he could muster was a pair of shots saved from Montréal’s Jonathan Sirois.
Montréal kept applying pressure to find a third goal in the second half, particularly when San Luis committed more numbers forward. The best chance to add the third fell to second half substitute Kwadwo Opoku, who blasted a shot off the crossbar in the 71srt minute.
The festive atmosphere at Stade Saputo quickly turned tense after San Luis forward Franck Boli earned and converted a penalty kick in the 77th minute.
Montréal had previously lost three of their six matches when leading at the half in league play. But the palpable anxiety disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, thanks to another second half substitute.
After a scramble in front of the San Luis goal, Ibrahim Sunusi flew his header over Sanchez and into the back of the net in the 82nd minute. Once again, the North Star Bell’s chimes were a welcome sound to the relieved home crowd.
San Luis was awarded a penalty with seconds to go in second half stoppage time. Jurgen Damm, who was fouled by Joel Waterman, slotted the spot kick into the left corner for the 3-2 final scoreline. San Luis’ two goals, not to mention Montréal’s two missed PKs, could loom very large as San Luis plays Orlando on Sunday night.
“This is what we came for,” Guerrero said. “To advance from the group; the further we go the better. We have a game coming up, and winning that game qualifies us. The second goal we scored tonight gives us a chance.”
