{"id":596359,"date":"2026-04-11T05:25:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T05:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/596359\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T05:25:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T05:25:37","slug":"cf-montreal-looks-for-offence-and-a-win-in-home-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/596359\/","title":{"rendered":"CF Montr\u00e9al looks for offence and a win in home opener"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

New England Revolution forward Luca Langoni, right, turns away from CF Montreal midfielder Wiki Carmona, left, during their match this past Saturday in Foxborough, Mass.Mark Stockwell\/The Associated Press<\/p>\n

After six consecutive games on the road, CF Montr\u00e9al is limping back to Stade Saputo for its home opener on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union with just three points in tow.<\/p>\n

A single win from their first six matches is the worst start in the Major League Soccer club\u2019s history, following what was their worst-ever season in 2025. <\/p>\n

Despite improved performances toward the end of the road trip, a similar script has emerged: promising play does not translate into corresponding results.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think at home, we\u2019ll have a bit more energy and be clinical in decisive moments. Small things can change the game \u2026 there have been very balanced games with one or two small moments,\u201d said head coach Marco Donadel. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of the players have brought in a new energy. I might feel a bit [of pressure to win at home], but I don\u2019t think the players feel that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Home-field advantage in MLS is still very potent and is how teams win the majority of their points, despite this disparity gradually decreasing over the years. In Montr\u00e9al\u2019s case, however, they were one of the eight teams to find more success away from home, winning just two of 21 games in all competitions at Stade Saputo.<\/p>\n

This time around, the Union\u2019s arrival could be a blessing in disguise on multiple fronts. The 2025 Supporters\u2019 Shield winners have yet to earn a single point through six games and have only scored four goals in that span. <\/p>\n

Montr\u00e9al has the chance to open its home account on the right foot and win a second game against Philadelphia in its last seven tries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have any excuse not to win this game,\u201d said goalkeeper Thomas Gillier. \u201cWe can talk about expected goals, we can talk about whatever you want, but games are won with goals. We have to stop talking now and show it on the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

CF Montr\u00e9al goalkeeper Thomas Gillier (31) reacts after making a save against Red Bull New York during their game last month at Sports Illustrated Stadium.John Jones\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Montr\u00e9al has found significantly more attacking success this season than in the opening stages of 2025, more than doubling last year\u2019s output at the same point. However, there have still been many moments when the lack of a final product has either altered a game\u2019s momentum or cost them points outright.<\/p>\n

The addition of Wiki Carmona and the return of Ivan Jaime have made Montr\u00e9al\u2019s attack more varied and harder to plan for. It has also taken pressure off of last year\u2019s leading goal-scorer and team MVP, Prince Owusu, to be the sole driving force in attack. The Ghanaian international has, nevertheless, continued his strong form with four goals and one assist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that if I do my job, there\u2019s a pretty high chance that we win games, so I have huge expectations of myself,\u201d said Owusu, who has already become one of the more prominent leaders at the club. \u201cI\u2019m the first person up top, so I have to step up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The home opener will also be the first game that the newly acquired Frankie Amaya will be available for selection. On loan from Mexican club Deportivo Toluca F.C., the midfielder will bring a much-needed technical component to the area on the pitch that has arguably struggled the most this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen a lot of him through scouting and the fact that he played against us last season. If he\u2019s the kind of player he was at Red Bull [New York] and last season [with Los Angeles FC], he\u2019ll be very important for us,\u201d said Donadel, who added that he will be physically ready for the game. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt may be difficult for a new player to enter a team and be ready for the next game, but he\u2019s physically ready to enter the game.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: New England Revolution forward Luca Langoni, right, turns away from CF Montreal midfielder…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":596360,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,2338,885,909,910,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":{"0":"post-596359","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-montreal","8":"tag-alberta","9":"tag-arts-news","10":"tag-bc","11":"tag-breaking-news","12":"tag-breaking-news-video","13":"tag-british-columbia","14":"tag-ca","15":"tag-canada","16":"tag-canada-news","17":"tag-canada-sports","18":"tag-canada-sports-news","19":"tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","20":"tag-canadian-breaking-news","21":"tag-canadian-news","22":"tag-economy","23":"tag-education","24":"tag-environment","25":"tag-federal-government","26":"tag-foreign-news","27":"tag-globe-and-mail","28":"tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","29":"tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","30":"tag-government","31":"tag-life-news","32":"tag-lifestyle","33":"tag-local-news","34":"tag-manitoba","35":"tag-montreal","36":"tag-national-news","37":"tag-new-brunswick","38":"tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","39":"tag-northwest-territories","40":"tag-nova-scotia","41":"tag-nunavut","42":"tag-ontario","43":"tag-pei","44":"tag-photos","45":"tag-political-news","46":"tag-political-opinion","47":"tag-politics","48":"tag-politics-news","49":"tag-quebec","50":"tag-sports-news","51":"tag-technology","52":"tag-travel","53":"tag-trudeau","54":"tag-us-news","55":"tag-world-news","56":"tag-yukon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=596359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/596360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=596359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=596359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=596359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}