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CF Montréal, striker Johnsen seek scoring rhythm

CF Montréal plays its second of three matches in an eight-day period Wednesday when it meets Inter Miami CF in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

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As CF Montréal and manager Wilfried Nancy seeks the elusive replacement for injured striker Mason Toye, it’s clear Bjørn Johnsen struck out on his first attempt.

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Now the question becomes: When will he get another opportunity?

“Obviously it’s much easier to critique when everyone’s watching from above, from a camera, on TV,” Johnsen said Tuesday during a video conference. “It’s much easier to see everything. You see the whole field. I don’t see everything, obviously, on the ground.”

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Johnsen, a 6-foot-5 forward, made his first start in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Vancouver, following three relief appearances. He was denied in the 29th minute by goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau on a shot he needed to bury. And then, late in the first half, Johnsen decided to shoot off a three-on-two break rather than feed an open Romell Quioto.

“You could say I missed it — or the goalkeeper made a great save,” Johnsen said of his first attempt. “Either way, the opportunity was not taken. With the confidence I have, I know I should be scoring on these opportunities.

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“I have to be able to critique myself. I have to make sure, when I get the opportunity again, I put it away. My stats speak for themselves. I can score on these type of opportunities.”

CF Montréal plays its second of three matches over an eight-day period Wednesday (7:30 p.m., TVA Sports, TSN Radio-690, 91.9 FM) when it meets Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium. While the facility, located in Fort Lauderdale, is Inter Miami’s home field, it’s being used this season by CFM due to COVID-19 and border restrictions. While the Canadian side’s considered the home team on Wednesday, it will be performing before a hostile, albeit limited, crowd.

Inter Miami came from behind to tie Atlanta United 1-1 Sunday at home before slightly more than 8,000 fans.

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CFM has gone 228 minutes without scoring a goal and continues to operate without Toye, who has scored twice, but might miss another three weeks with a strained calf. Nancy must decide whether to team Quioto with Johnsen, Erik Hurtado, who brings speed, or Lassi Lappalainen, the flashy Finn who has recovered from his shoulder injury and has displayed a knack for scoring timely goals.

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Lappalainen scored late against the Whitecaps, but the goal disallowed because of a hand ball by Hurtado.

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Johnsen believes his club can rediscover the offensive touch it displayed through its opening two games, when it erupted for six goals over 135 minutes.

“There’s no weight on our shoulders,” he said. “It’s early. We just started the season. I don’t think we have a problem. Football’s all about rhythm. When you get to the middle of the season is when you’re getting the best numbers.”

Johnsen isn’t the only CFM player who wants to put Saturday’s performance behind him.

Canadian defender Kamal Miller’s foul in the second half resulted in the Whitecaps’ opening goal, scored off a penalty. About 14 minutes later, he somehow lost track of Cristian Dájome, who got his head on Deiber Caicedo’s corner, capping a perfectly executed set piece — something Vancouver’s renowned for.

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“Overall, it was a frustrating day for me,” Miller said. “Two little mistakes, errors and mental lapses. I’m a bit frustrated at myself. I know I can do much better.

“I feel like we were the better team,” he added. “Just giving them those easy ways out is not the way we want to defend this year. I know what I can do. If I get in that situation again, I know exactly what I’m going to do. I’ll learn from it. I’m not beating myself up.”

Miller and his fellow defenders must keep track Wednesday of Argentinian striker Gonazalo Higuain, who has two goals through four matches. Both teams have identical 1-1-2 records.

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

twitter.com/HerbZurkowsky1

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