Gillingham’s Luis Binks and his Impact Montreal side have endured a disappointing start to the “MLS is Back” Tournament in Florida after a single goal defeat to New England Revolution in their opening game.

Speaking exclusively to KSN, Luis told us, “yeah not a good start but by all means not over” he admitted. “We still have two very important games that are must wins if we want to progress.”

Like all games in the Premier League, the teams are showing their support for the “Black Lives Matter” by “taking the knee” before the games, with Montreal coach Thierry Henry staying in the position for the first eight minutes and forty six seconds – we asked Luis about that, he told us “it’s obviously great because it shows how everyone is coming together to try and kick racism out of society as there is no place for it.”

“I didn’t realise what the coach had done until after the game when I saw it on social media. Obviously when you’re playing, you’re not concentrating on things around you, so I never knew!”

Watching on TV, the conditions looked very tough – Luis agreed, “it’s so hard playing down here – that’s why all the games are either early in the morning or late at night.”

“We have been waking up at 5:45 most days because we have been starting training at 07:45. At the time we played the other day, it’s not so much hot, it’s just the humidity and it’s so hard – everyone walks off the pitch as though they’ve just been dunked in a swimming pool!”

Coach Henry was critical after the Impact’s defeat saying that he “didn’t like the team’s attitude during the game,” and the defeat “wasn’t about tactics, it was the spirit of the team.” Strong words indeed Luis told us, “I think we didn’t show enough bite about us and get in their faces and ultimately that cost us which is unacceptable and something we can’t show a repeat of again in the next games or ever.”

New England enjoyed the better of the first half with Impact keeper Clement Diop producing three great saves during the game – the first in the first half full length to deny Carles Gil was arguably the best.

Luis himself made a couple of great last-ditch clearances which pleased the young defender. “It’s good to make a few good defensive challenges early on as it does give you confidence,” he admitted, “I felt as though although I didn’t block one shot but was able to put the player off. If it was on target, I felt I would have blocked it.”

“It’s challenges like those that definitely gave me confidence and I carried on making blocks and challenges like the one in the box against Player of the Match Carles Gil in the second half.”

“We got stronger at the start of the second half as we changed shape and added one into midfield which made us get more of a foothold in the game. It helped us to up the tempo and keep the ball, but we didn’t do it for long enough.”

“We could have gone in front when Max Urruit when close – it was massive, a great chance to score and go into the lead and at this level if you don’t take your chance it can come back to hurt you which we found out a few minutes later.”

The game’s only goal followed and it left Luis frustrated – he said, “it was a goal I felt as a team we could’ve avoided and like I said earlier we had a golden chance moments before to take the lead and after took the lead it was always going to be hard.”

“It’s annoying for defenders as we work hard to set attacks up after dispossessing their attackers and when we are wasteful, and they then start to attack us it is very annoying.”

Impact could have snatched a point at the very end but Balou Tabla’s drive in the last minute of stoppage time not been brilliantly aside by New England keeper Matt Turner. “it was a good save,” Luis said, “but it was something we didn’t do often enough (test the keeper).”

“We saw that he made that save a bit more dramatic than it should have been so who knows if we tested him more, we may have got something out of him.”

“If the performance has been right, we wouldn’t be talking about that “one moment” as we would’ve created more and if we got more shots off and tested the keeper who knows what would’ve happened.”

Next for the Impact will be a “derby” against Toronto, but as yet we don’t know when as Toronto’s first game (against DC United) has been called off twice as positive Covid-19 tests forced late postponements.

The extra recovery period that Montreal will therefore enjoy (if the game does go ahead as now planned on Friday morning UK time) could be all important as Luis reflected, “the recovery out here will be crucial as it’s so hot and it takes so much out of you, so the extra few days will be crucial for us and hopefully we can take full advantage of that.”