If the start of the season was morally testing for Hernán Losada’s troops, the same can be said on a physical level.
After three consecutive losses on the road to start its calendar, CF Montreal will make its Montreal comeback on Saturday night against the Philadelphia Union. A small victory for the team which will hope to score its first goal of the campaign.
However, she will have to try to get her first points of the season without central defender Kamal Miller. The Canadian international left the last duel of his family, against Nashville SC, in the 72e minute. His absence was confirmed on Wednesday by Losada during a press scrum.
Miller shouldn’t be on the sidelines for too long as he has been called up by John Herdman to the national team. The Canadian selection will cross swords with Curaçao next Saturday and Honduras de Romell Quioto three days later.
This means that Losada will still have to manage with a fragmented defense. The pilot has been able to count on his five starting defensemen a total of 45 minutes this season. If you include starting goaltender James Pantemis in the equation, that number drops to zero.
For his part, Samuel Piette was content to say Tuesday, during the launch of the CFM season, that his presence for the clash against the Union “is uncertain”. The club’s new captain trained alone in the two training sessions open to the media – on Tuesday and Wednesday. He was not in uniform last Saturday.
On the side of the Union, the Philadelphia club will have to do without the services of its star goalkeeper Andre Blake. Unionists head coach Jim Curtin confirmed the news on Thursday.
Where to watch the game?
The duel against the Philadelphia Union will be shown exclusively through the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+, starting at 7:30 p.m. For the first time in the campaign, Frédéric Lord and Vincent Destouches will be hosting. The match will also be broadcast on BPM Sports.