Championship hopes vanished on Sunday for CF Montreal. The Montreal team lost in the quarter-finals of the MLS tournament 3-1 against New York FC.
Despite bright sunshine flooding a packed Saputo stadium, the Eastern semi-final got off to a bad start for CF Montreal. The visitors opened the scoring with just 5 minutes up.
Maximiliano Moralez, left alone in front of the gaping cage, took advantage of the confusion in front of goal to quickly put New York in the scoring.
This goal whipped the troops of Wilfried Nancy. The game moved into the New York defensive zone for most of the rest of the half. 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 rang out in the stadium when, on receiving a corner kick, the ball found itself in the back of the New York net. Bad luck: the push was offside and the goal canceled.
The chances of scoring have multiplied for the Montreal eleven. Shots on target, others just off. Quick climbs and missed opportunities. Rebelote. Nothing concrete in the end for the enthusiastic supporters who came to encourage their favorites.
New York, on the contrary, started playing on its heels. Their insistence on keeping their opponents away from the net earned them three yellow cards, one to Kevin O’Toole, another to Santiago Rodríguez and the last to Alexander Callens.
All this dynamic collapsed at the very end of the half. New York took advantage of one of its rare openings to double its lead. Héber Araújo dos Santos slipped between a porous Montreal defense to score on the verge of stoppage time.
The second half was not much better. A hazardous exit from goalkeeper James Pantemis mowed down an opposing player, providing 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 the supporters in oranges and the tireless “ultras” to show the enthusiasm.
With the headwind, the Montrealers struggled to regain their ease, 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 a bit of celebration to a disappointed crowd, a nice way for him to say goodbye to his supporters. He will take the road to Europe next season to play in the Netherlands.
A great challenge
CF Montreal had the third-best regular-season record in MLS in 2022, but New York boasted a complete, balanced, and championship-winning squad. New York City FC remained undefeated 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 end result of 0-0 does not tell the whole story, as Montreal had clearly dominated the game. But it was another New York. The latter experienced a trough this summer, with several players injured.
If Montreal had won, they would have earned their bye to the Eastern final. It is therefore New York FC who will face the Philadelphia Union.
The last time Montreal reached the MLS semi-finals was in 2016.