CF Montreal failed to get the point that would have confirmed its participation in the series and lost 2-0 to Charlotte FC on Saturday evening at Bank of America Stadium.
Due to the defeats of Toronto FC and the Philadelphia Union, the Bleu-blanc-noir only needed a draw in North Carolina to punch their ticket to the fall tournament, but they will have to wait until to “decision day”, in two weeks, to know his fate.
CF Montreal (10-13-10) even slipped to ninth place in the Eastern Conference after DC United scored a victory at the expense of the New England Revolution.
Karol Swiderski and Patrick Agyemang hit the mark for Charlotte FC (13-11-9), which has climbed to fifth in the East. It was a first victory against the Montreal club for the “Crown” players, after five failed attempts (0-4-1).
While his men had not experienced defeat in their last five outings, head coach Laurent Courtois used practically the same starting 11 as in Atlanta, except for two changes. Striker Sunusi Ibrahim played his first match since August 24 and made his first start in MLS since July 3. Defender Gabriele Corbo was used for the first time since September 21.
CF Montreal will benefit from a week of rest, due to the international break, before playing its last match of the season on October 18, at Saputo stadium.
Goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois, defender Joel Waterman and midfielder Nathan Saliba will also represent Canada during this international window.
A little too late
Charlotte FC quickly dictated the pace of the first half and built some great attacks to get into the Montreal third.
Liel Abada gave the first warning, in the third minute, but his powerful shot was deflected over the net by George Campbell. Swiderski was then involved in two more scoring chances.
During a free kick, following a yellow card from Raheem Edwards, Swiderski broke away from Samuel Piette to deflect the ball with his head, but he missed the target. The home team tried exactly the same thing a few minutes later, but this time Sirois dove to his right to frustrate the Pole.
CF Montreal quietly gained confidence in its means and orchestrated some offensive pushes. Bryce Duke notably joined Ibrahim in the penalty area, but his shot lacked precision.
Charlotte FC stopped their opponents’ momentum in the 34th minute, scoring the first goal of the game. Sirois stopped an Abada shot by diving to his right, but the ball bounced to the left. Quick-witted, Swiderski slid to push it into the net.
The Bleu-blanc-noir finished the first half well, setting up near the enemy penalty area, but he was unable to land a dangerous shot.
The visitors left the locker room with a lot of energy and they made the North Carolina team suffer by maintaining possession of the ball. They took the opportunity to get their first shot on target of the match, in the 55th minute, but Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty came up against goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.
The Montrealers then wanted to combine their efforts to create better chances in the center of the area, but the tight defense of Charlotte FC let nothing slip.
It was also a tackle from Iuri Tavares in his territory which led to the magnificent goal from Agyemang, who made fun of Waterman to close the books.