Seeking a third successive MLS home victory, CF Montreal continue their playoff quest when they host the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at Saputo Stadium.
Last weekend, Montreal defeated the Chicago Fire 2-0, putting them two points below the Eastern Conference post-season line, while the Goonies were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 2-1 defeat versus St. Louis City.
Match preview
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With four matches remaining in the regular-season CF Montreal are on the outside of the playoff picture but are fighting hard to remain in the post-season hunt.
Against Chicago, they picked up their sixth shutout victory of the MLS campaign, four of which have occurred at Saputo Stadium.
Montreal have points in three successive league contests and, on Saturday, can win three straight matches at Saputo Stadium for the first time domestically in 2024.
Le CFM have only suffered one home defeat this season versus sides currently below the playoff line, losing 5-0 to the New England Revolution last month.
A victory this weekend would equal the longest winning run for Le CFM in this competition under first-year manager Laurent Courtois (two).
In five previous MLS home meetings with the Quakes, Le CFM hold a 100% record, including a 2-0 triumph the previous time they faced them at Saputo Stadium in 2019, when they were known as the Montreal Impact.
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The playoffs will have to wait at least another year for San Jose, who will miss the post-season for a third time in the last four campaigns.
Interim manager Ian Russell has claimed just one victory in his last eight league fixtures on the sidelines, with that lone triumph coming in Sandy, Utah, against Real Salt Lake in August (2-0).
Since Russell took charge, the Quakes' defensive frailties seem to have worsened, with San Jose conceding multiple goals in five of their last six league games while allowing the most goals domestically in 2024 (69).
That is far from the only issue this team has had to deal with in 2024, as their normally potent attack has not been quite as sharp this season, netting the second-fewest goals in the Western Conference (37)
While a win this weekend would not change their post-season fate, it would improve their chances of avoiding the wrong kind of club history, as the 2024 Quakes have just 18 points, three fewer than their fewest-ever in a 34-game MLS regular season (21 in 2018).
Should they lose their final four league fixtures, the Goonies will have suffered 26 defeats in the competition this year, which would set a new single-season MLS record, surpassing the 1999 New York/New Jersey MetroStars by one.
Team News
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In their victory over Chicago, Le CFM were without the services of Lassi Lappalainen, who is struggling to return to full fitness, while Joaquin Sosa sat out with muscle discomfort.
Victor Wanyama was left out of the squad due to a coach's decision, and Joel Waterman returned from the injured list, replacing George Campbell in the second half last week.
Josef Martinez netted the winner against the Fire, with Caden Clark adding some insurance in the final 45 minutes, and Jonathan Sirois made three stops to collect his first clean sheet since July (1-0 win over Atlanta United).
There is a long list of injuries in San Jose, including Preston Judd and Benji Kikanovic, who sat out last weekend with upper-body issues, while Daniel, Vitor Costa, Will Richmond and Jamar Ricketts were all sidelined due to lower-body injuries.
Ousseni Bouda and Michael Baldisimo may miss this encounter because of knocks, Bruno Wilson is doubtful with a sore knee and JT Marcinkowski continues to rehab from a torn ACL.
Jeremy Ebobisse had the only strike for the Earthquakes against St. Louis, his fifth of the 2024 domestic campaign, two fewer than Amahl Pellegrino for the team lead.
CF Montreal possible starting lineup:
Sirois; Corbo, Waterman, Alvarez; Marshall-Rutty, Piette, Saliba, Edwards; Clark, Opoku; Martinez
San Jose Earthquakes possible starting lineup:
Yarbrough; Marie, Rodrigues, Beason, Thompson; Tsakiris, Gruezo; Espinoza, Lopez, Pellegrino; Ebobisse
We say: CF Montreal 3-1 San Jose Earthquakes
These are the two worst defensive units in MLS, so we expect to see the back of the net bulge a few times, and in the end, we believe the urgency of Montreal, who are still in playoff contention, will defeat a Quakes side that have looked disinterested for weeks.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
