Montreal Impact coach Wilmer Cabrera refuses to lose hope despite facing overwhelming odds.
To remain in playoff contention, the Impact need to win their two remaining regular-season games starting with defending champions Atlanta United at home on Sunday. Montreal also needs New England and Chicago to drop points.
The Impact have an approximate five-per-cent chance of making the playoffs according to various data-crunching outlets.
"Even if it's 0.00001 per cent, you cannot give up or surrender to the fact that it's too difficult," said an optimistic Cabrera after Impact practice on Friday. "Nothing is impossible. The fact that we're in this sport is that you never give up. You never take anything for granted.
"Even if we have in front of us not Atlanta but the best team in the world, we have to go out and believe that we can do it."
Montreal (11-17-4) is ninth in the Eastern Conference with 37 points, one below the eighth-place Chicago Fire. New England is seventh with 42 points. All three teams have two games remaining.
To avoid missing the post-season for a third straight year, the Impact need to defeat Atlanta (17-12-3) on Sunday and the New York Red Bulls next week. Chicago would also need to lose once while the Revs can only pick up one point.
"It's not impossible because we still have a chance," said Impact midfielder Bojan, who has one goal in six games for Montreal. "We know the reality is what it is. Six points to play and we're five points away. It's going to be tough but we don't have to think in that way. We have to think about Sunday, and see what happens then."
The Impact are fighting for their playoff lives down the stretch following a dreadful three-month slump (2-10-1) that led to former coach Remi Garde's dismissal last month. That skid began with a 2-1 loss in Atlanta on June 29, when Justin Meram scored twice.
Montreal has dropped three straight games in MLS and is 1-4-0 since Cabrera took over.
But it hasn't been all bad news for the Quebec side.
The Impact are coming off a victory over rivals Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship final on Wednesday. The two-legged aggregate series went to penalties, where Montreal edged TFC 3-1 to hoist the fourth Voyageurs Cup in franchise history.
The Impact are hoping that domestic success will spill over into league play.
"It does a lot of good for the players, the staff here, people within the organization," said defender Rudy Camacho, who scored in the penalty shootout against Toronto. "For the fans too, it puts them in a good mood.
"We have to keep this momentum going. We managed to win a trophy and there's so much positivity around that. We have to use that for Sunday."
It will be the fifth game in 16 days for Atlanta, who are coming off a 4-1 midweek defeat to conference leaders New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. Alexandru Mitrita bagged a first-half hat trick versus the defending champs.
That was Atlanta's first game without injured forward Josef Martinez (knee), who will also likely miss Sunday's contest in Montreal. With 26 goals, Martinez is the league's third-best scorer behind Carlos Vela (30) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (28).
United are 2-3-0 in their last five games and will finish second or third in the East.
ATLANTA UNITED (17-12-3) AT MONTREAL IMPACT (11-17-4)
Sunday, Saputo Stadium
CONNECT FOUR: Atlanta is 4-1-0 all-time against Montreal, including four straight victories. The Impact's only win versus United came in the first meeting between the two clubs in April 2017.
WHERE IS MAXI: Impact forward Maximiliano Urruti missed Friday's training session after suffering an injury against Toronto on Wednesday. Coach Wilmer Cabrera said Urruti is day-to-day.
SHOW ME THE MONEY: The MLS Players Association released its updated salary list on Friday afternoon. Former Barcelona midfielder Bojan earns US$1.5 million and is Montreal's second highest paid player behind Ignacio Piatti.
SPINNING A WEBB: Former international referee Howard Webb is coming to Montreal this weekend. The general manager of MLS' Professional Referee Organization (PRO) is hosting a roundtable on refereeing and VAR.
NEW SPORTING DIRECTOR: Olivier Renard is the Impact's newest sporting director, the club announced Saturday afternoon. The 40-year-old Renard spent the last three years as sporting director of Belgium's Standard Liege.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2019.
Kelsey Patterson, The Canadian Press
