Decisive second leg Wednesday night at Olympic Stadium
The first game of the year in Montreal will be an important one. CF Montréal gets set to take on Santos Laguna in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League round of 16, Wednesday night at 8pm at Olympic Stadium.
A reminder that due to the latest weather forecast, Olympic Park has announced that it is applying its stadium management protocol and is forced to postpone CF Montréal’s Concacaf Champions League match against Mexican club Santos Laguna, scheduled for Tuesday, February 22 at 8pm ET, to Wednesday, February 23 at the same time.
Both teams met last Tuesday in Torreon, Mexico, for the first leg, the home side coming away with a slight 1-0 victory heading into Wednesday night’s game.
“They’re an aggressive side, they like to put pressure,” said CF Montréal head coach Wilfried Nancy. We wanted to put on more as well last week, but we weren’t able to, which is normal. We want to put more pressure on them during certain moments of the game, especially since we’re playing at home.”
Wilfried Nancy's men were able to create their fair share of chances last Tuesday but were unable to add that crucial away goal. Romell Quioto managed to find the back of the net in the fifth minute, giving CF Montréal the early lead, but the goal was called back due to a foul behind the play.
This will be a repeat of the 2009 game against Santos Laguna at the Big-O, when Montreal came away with a historic 2-0 win in front of what was then a record-breaking crowd, thanks to two goals from none other than current Academy coach Eduardo Sebrango.
Newcomer Kei Kamara will be available to the head coach after arriving in Montreal over the weekend, while offseason addition Alistair Johnston will also be available after missing the first leg last week.
“I still have time to make a decision on Kei," added Nancy. "It’s just his second training with us. We’ll see where he’s at right now and think about it. After, we’ll see if he’s available tomorrow or later. Alistair is back with us as well after finishing his Covid period.”
Following Wednesday’s game, Montreal will then get ready to kick off its MLS season on Sunday, February 27, at 1pm, against Orlando City SC at Exploria Stadium in Florida. The team will then return to Montreal for its home opener on Saturday, March 5, at 4pm, against the Philadelphia Union, also at Olympic Stadium.
