CF Montreal can extend their winning run at Saputo Stadium to nine matches in all competitions when they host New York City FC on Saturday.
Le CFM have not conceded in their previous three MLS affairs, drawing 0-0 at Charlotte FC last Saturday, while the Pigeons are winless in 12 successive fixtures in all competitions, drawing the Portland Timbers 1-1 in their previous encounter.
Match preview
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A coach known for employing a high tempo style with plenty of verticality in the past, Hernan Losada has adjusted his approach at Montreal, with his side playing more defensive in recent games.
That change in philosophy has helped this group dig themselves out of what was once a big hole, as they lost six of their opening seven contests, failing to score in each of those defeats.
It seems like this team have put that start in the rearview mirror, though, as they have only lost one of their previous six league fixtures, enabling them to climb above the Eastern Conference playoff line in eighth.
Their defensive prowess has been especially evident in front of their fans, with Le CFM posting eight straight shutouts on their home field in all competitions.
They have already claimed seven victories at Saputo Stadium this year, two shy of their entire regular season total from 2022, when Montreal wound up second in the Eastern Conference before the playoffs began.
Montreal have only lost one of their previous 11 regular season contests versus Eastern Conference opponents in La Belle Province, a streak which dates back to September 2022.
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It was a record-setting evening for the Boys in Blue last weekend, though not the kind worth bragging about as NYCFC have now gone 11 MLS matches without a victory, the longest single-season drought for this franchise.
Heading into his first full campaign as the head coach, Nick Cushing knew things would be challenging given how many familiar faces left in 2022, but five points beneath the playoff line and third from the bottom in the Eastern Conference is far below what many had expected out of this team.
If there is a silver lining for them right now, it might be that the Pigeons have claimed a point in four successive MLS road contests, equalling their longest such unbeaten run from the previous regular-season campaign.
That fortress at Saputo Stadium is not the easiest venue to earn a result in as many road teams this year can attest to, but New York have not been intimidated by that environment, going unbeaten in Montreal since entering the league in 2015, knocking Le CFM out of the playoffs in their own home last year with a 3-1 triumph in that Eastern Conference semi-final clash.
The Boys in Blue have managed to salvage five points when trailing in the second half this season, three of which have come away from home, though they are one of only two MLS sides without a road victory in 2023.
New York City have failed to find the back of the net in five away contests this season, equalling their total from 2022, scoring multiple times in only two road fixtures this year.
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Team News
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Samuel Piette missed another Montreal encounter last weekend as he continues to recover from an adductor issue, while Romell Quioto also sat out with a hamstring injury.
Jojea Kwizera started his first game of the 2023 league campaign in Charlotte, while Jonathan Sirois made four stops to register his eighth shutout, the third-most among MLS goalkeepers this season behind only Roman Celentano (nine) and Stefan Frei (10).
In their previous MLS home fixture, Bryce Duke had the only goal as they blanked Nashville SC 1-0, while Quioto and Mason Toye each found the back of the net the last time they defeated the Pigeons in 2021 in a match played behind closed doors at Exploria Stadium in Orlando.
Thiago Martins sat out for NYCFC in Portland last weekend due to a knee injury, James Sands will not be featuring as he is with the US national team at the Gold Cup, while Maxime Chanot returned from international duty to start against the Timbers, featuring for the first time since a 0-0 draw versus the New England Revolution in early June.
In his second domestic appearance for New York, Matt Freese stopped six Portland efforts as he replaced Luis Barraza between the sticks, while Keaton Parks notched his second of the campaign, putting him halfway towards his career best in a single season when he netted four times in their 2021 regular season campaign.
Gabriel Segal has come up big for this team when they have needed it most, scoring two result-changing goals in the 89th minute or later, one of only four players in the league this year to accomplish that alongside Thiago Almada, Michael Barrios and Carlos Vela.
CF Montreal possible starting lineup:
Sirois; Waterman, Campbell, Corbo; Lassiter, Wanyama, Rea, Miljevic; Duke; Ibrahim, Toye
New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Freese; Gray, Chanot, Haak; Ilenic, Parks, Morales, Cufre; Pereira, Rodriguez, Magno
We say: CF Montreal 1-0 New York City FC
Forget how well NYCFC have played in Montreal in the past, because this is not the same Pigeons side from previous years, and the summer transfer window cannot come soon enough for this group, who have looked indecisive in the attacking third most of the season.
Montreal are at their best when playing in front of their fans, and we believe their defensive shape will be able to handle an NYCFC side that must be feeling pretty low at the moment.
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