League hopes vanished on Sunday for CF Montreal. The Montreal team lost in the quarter-finals of the MLS tournament 3-1 to New York FC.
Although bright sunshine flooded a packed stadium in Saputo, the eastern semi-final got off to a bad start for CF Montreal. The guests opened the scoring with just a 5-minute lead.
Maximiliano Moralez, left alone in front of the wide open cage, took advantage of the confusion in front of goal to immediately put New York on the net.
This goal whipped Wilfried Nancy’s troops. The game moved to the New York defensive zone most of the rest of the time. Twice, young Isamël Koné knocked on the door of New York goalkeeper Sean Johnson. The second time his shot hit the post.
A very brief cry of joy resounds in the stadium when, on a corner kick, the ball finds itself in the back of the New York net. Bad luck: the push was offside and the goal canceled.
The chances of scoring multiplied by the eleven in Montreal. Shots on goal, others just outside. Fast climbs and missed opportunities. Rebel. Nothing concrete, in the end, for the enthusiastic fans who came to encourage their favorites.
New York, on the other hand, has begun to play on its heels. Their insistence on keeping their opponents off the net earned them three yellow cards, one for Kevin O’Toole, another for Santiago Rodríguez and the last for Alexander Callens.
This whole dynamic collapsed at the end of time. New York took advantage of one of its rare openings to double the lead. Héber Araújo dos Santos slipped between a porous Montreal defense to score on the brink of recovery.
The second half didn’t go much better. A dangerous exit from goalkeeper James Pantemis mowed down an opposing player, delivering a free kick for New York. It was enough for the gap to widen to 3-0.
There was only the small corner of the stands reserved for fans in oranges and the tireless “ultras” to show enthusiasm.
With the headwinds, the Montrealers struggled to find calm, accumulating three yellow cards in turn.
Despite New York’s very closed style of play, CF Montreal still managed to open the scoring. In the 85th minute, Djordje Mihailovic offered some cheer to a disappointed crowd, a nice way to greet his fans. He will go to Europe next season to play in the Netherlands.
A great challenge
CF Montreal had their third-best MLS regular season record in 2022, but New York boasted a full, balanced and championship-winning squad. New York City FC have remained unbeaten in 12 of their last 13 games against Montreal in all competitions.
The last meeting between the two teams dates back to last July. The final result of 0-0 does not tell the whole story, as Montreal clearly dominated the game. But it was another New York. The latter experienced a period of depression this summer, with several injured players.
If Montreal had won, they would have earned their farewell to the Eastern Final. It will therefore be New York FC to face Philadelphia Union.
The last time Montreal reached the MLS semi-finals was in 2016.
