Though there are still three months to go in the MLS season, CF Montreal are looking to the future.
On Wednesday, the team promised its fans it would “undertake a rebuild and launch a new chapter.” That era will begin Friday when they visit the New England Revolution in Foxborough, Mass.
It’s been a disastrous season for Montreal (3-15-6, 15 points), which sits last in the Eastern Conference and MLS overall. The Canadian side fired coach Laurent Courtois after going winless in its first five matches and didn’t record its first win until its 12th match. The club didn’t earn its first home victory until June 28 — still its lone triumph as the hosts.
“It was a good time to put out the letter because it’s good to be transparent, to show that the club is not satisfied with the results and wants to react quickly,” said midfielder and captain Samuel Piette, who has been with the team since 2017.
Montreal has struggled at both ends of the pitch. The team has scored just 20 goals through 24 matches, second-fewest in the league, and the 45 goals it’s conceded are second-most in MLS.
It’s coming off a 2-0 loss to the Chicago Fire on July 19, the ninth time it’s been blanked this season. Prince Owusu leads the way up front with 10 goals. Former Revolution forward Giacomo Vrioni, who missed a month and a half with an injury before returning last week, is second with three goals.
New England, meanwhile, had been on a solid run for two months early in the season but has struggled over the past month. The Revolution (6-10-7, 25 points) are 0-6-2 in their past eight matches after going 6-1-4 from March 29 to May 31.
“The results haven’t been good to us, but I know we have good potential and quality players,” striker Leo Campana said. “It’s just a matter of time to get one win, and then I know things will change for us.”
Five of their past six losses have been by a single goal, including their most recent outing, a 2-1 decision to Orlando City last week. Their last win came May 31 — against Montreal, a 3-0 road victory. The focus, though, won’t be too much on that match.
“We’ll look at their recent games, the last several games, and then focus on ourselves as well and what we need to do to improve,” New England coach Caleb Porter said. “With the process now, we’re going to make sure, every week, that we don’t lose sight of who we are in terms of our game model, our principles of play, and our strengths.”
–Field Level Media
