CHESTER, Pennsylvania - In its final game before the international break, CF Montréal remained unbeaten in a third consecutive match, with a 2-2 draw against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday evening at Subaru Park.
CF Montréal opened the scoring in the very first minute of the match. Forward Sunusi Ibrahim scored his fifth goal of the season and 12th in MLS with a shot from the edge of the box to goalkeeper Oliver Semmle's left.
Following Ariel Lassiter's red card just before the end of the first half, the Union scored twice in two minutes at the start of the second half with goals from Daniel Gazdag (56') and Mikael Uhre (58').
Philadelphia defender Jack Elliott was also sent off in the 63rd minute, following a tackle on Raheem Edwards, which benefited Montreal and its captain Samuel Piette, who scored his first goal of the season three minutes later.
After a two-week break without a match, CF Montréal will host Real Salt Lake at Stade Saputo on Saturday, June 15 at 7:30pm (MLS Season Pass, BPM Sports, TSN 690).
COMPLETE SUMMARY **HERE**
MATCH NOTES:
-Ibrahim's goal scored at the 49th second was the 5th-fastest in the Club's MLS history.
-Sunusi Ibrahim scored four goals in the last four games.
-Goalkeeper Sebastian Breza played his first game of the season. It was his first MLS start since September 17, 2022.
-Samuel Piette played his 175th career MLS match.
-Ruan picked up his fifth assist of the season.
-Central defender Joel Waterman was not in Philadelphia due to personal reasons.
LAURENT COURTOIS
“In a difficult situation, we still managed to get a little extra. The guys found the resources to get what they needed. I really liked the group's resilience. I think we were still a little naive when it came to managing our emotions and the match. We were a bit nervous. It's a mixture of disappointment in terms of emotional management, but a lot of satisfaction in terms of resilience and heart tonight.”
SAMUEL PIETTE
“I'm really happy about the goal, but more for the team than for myself. We had a good first half where we found solutions, but we took that red which hurt us and we took two goals. Big credit to Raheem for the effort he put that led to their red card. After that, we scored on this action which put us back in the game at 2-2. We played a very good first 45 minutes. Then their two goals came, but we tied it up and kept the score intact. We stuck together. To get out of here with a point is still pretty positive.”
SEBASTIAN BREZA
“For sure they were going to do something offensively tonight and we expected that, but as a team we were a big low block. It's always difficult to come and play here. We're a team that plays with the ball, but tonight we had to tighten up and we had to defend a lot. We come back to Montreal with a point, a good point, especially in a very difficult atmosphere and stadium. We fought until the end and that's good for the team. Of course, we always want the three points, but as a team we were able to play as a team and defend as a team.”
