Montreal looking to extend unbeaten streak on the road
CF Montréal will travel to North Carolina to take on Charlotte FC for the first time in MLS, this Saturday, May 14, at 7pm (TVA Sports, 91.9 Sports, TSN 690, TSN).
Montreal is currently on a record-breaking streak. With their dominant win over Orlando City SC last Saturday at Stade Saputo, Montreal extended its unbeaten streak to seven games in MLS and eight in all competitions, setting a Club record for consecutive games without a loss in MLS. They have a perfect 3-0-0 record at Stade Saputo this year, and currently sit third in the East, behind only the Philadelphia Union and the New York Red Bulls.
“The team feels good right now. We’re in a very good moment,” said midfielder Samuel Piette. “There’s a certain confidence within the group that’s obviously present. But I continue to repeat it, we also continue to stay humble, which is extremely important. Things are going well at the moment, but that can all change very quickly. The team trained well this week, like it has in the past few weeks, and I think that’s an important part of our success at the moment.”
Montreal’s ascent in the Eastern Conference standings is attributed to many factors, and their offensive production is one of them. Wilfried Nancy’s men have scored 20 goals in 2022, the most from an Eastern Conference team and third league-wide. They added four more to their tally, all from different goalscorers, in their last game against Orlando, which allowed them leap over the Florida side in the standings.
Despite a tough start on the defensive end, Montreal’s backline has returned to normal, allowing just five goals over the last five games. The defensive unit has also been a big reason for Montreal’s offensive successes: Kamal Miller played the hero against Atlanta with a goal and an assist, earning him Player of the Week in MLS; Joel Waterman scored the opening goal in our last game, his first with the Club, with Zachary Brault-Guillard adding a goal and an assist as well as a substitute. Alistair Johnston on his end has been racking up the assists, with four in his last five games.
This will be the first time Montreal takes on expansion side Charlotte FC in MLS. The North Carolina side currently sits just outside of a playoff spot in eighth, with a record of four wins, six losses, and a draw.
“They’re a good team. We’re going to face a different style of play,” said head coach Wilfried Nancy. We’re going to play on turf and away from home. We haven’t played a road game in a while. It won’t be an easy game, like all games in MLS. Their head coach plays his team in an interesting way. There’s a lot of reflection that went into their style. I’m not surprised by their good results. It’ll be interesting to see what we can do against them.”
The challenge that lies ahead for Montreal now will be their busy schedule. The Club will be back on the road to visit Nashville in their brand-new stadium on Wednesday, May 18, at 8:30pm, before returning to Stade Saputo to take on Real Salt Lake on Sunday, May 22, at 7pm. They will then host Forge FC in the Canadian Championship quarterfinal midweek, before hosting FC Cincinnati at Stade Saputo on May 28.
