MONTREAL - CF Montréal defeated FC Cincinnati 2-1 in its home opener at Stade Saputo on Saturday night, the 150th MLS regular-season victory in its history, in the first sellout of the season.
After 45 scoreless minutes, striker Josef Martínez, brought on as a substitute in the 26th minute, broke through the visitors' defence just before half-time, completing the play from Raheem Edwards and Mathieu Choinière.
Yuya Kubo then replied for FC Cincinnati in the 58th minute. Four minutes later, winger Ariel Lassiter scored the game-winner with his first goal of the season.
Montreal will play its next match at Stade Saputo next Saturday against Orlando City SC at 7:30pm (MLS Season Pass, RDS, TSN, BPM Sports, TSN 690).
COMPLETE SUMMARY HERE
MATCH NOTES:
-Bryce Duke earned his 50th MLS start.
-Josef Martínez's goal was the fifth of the season scored by a substitute.
-This is the second time in the Club's MLS history that a home opener at Stade Saputo has been sold out.
-Mathieu Choinière registered two assists in the same MLS match for the first time in his career.
LAURENT COURTOIS
"I'm very happy with the three points tonight for the fans and the guys too after the last three games. I'm proud of the content tonight because that's how we want to be recognized. We kept our composure even after Cincinnati equalized. I was nervous we wouldn't be able to replicate the energy of the fans. But that was exactly what we had in mind. Playing a home game is certainly a factor, but we know what we do during the week and what we want to deliver on the pitch. The whole thing is a puzzle that we piece together gradually. When one part doesn't fit, it's easy to call everything into question. Tonight, the whole group was up to standard. Everything was in its place. The final product is what we expected."
ARIEL LASSITER
“Things went well today. I felt comfortable in my position tonight where I could read the spaces and allow Raheem to get up the field and find the strikers. My instructions were to find the pockets behind the defensive midfielders and the centre backs. My connection with Josef goes back to our Miami days. I know his tendencies. I’m always trying to feed off what they give me. I try to adapt my play to theirs. The chemistry was positive tonight which we haven’t seen as much in previous games. Hopefully we can continue in that direction.”
MATHIEU CHOINIÈRE
"Being able to get back in front of our supporters and hear the crowd, it gives us an extra boost. We wanted to impose ourselves and control the tempo of the match. Matías Cóccaro and Josef Martínez are two excellent players. We adapt to their respective styles of play. We have the luxury of having both on our team. This week we focused on what we wanted to do, and it showed. Of course, we take into account our rivals and their threats. With our five-man defense, we can neutralize their attacks."
