CF Montreal was unable to muzzle Atlanta United in the first half and lost 4-1 on Saturday evening at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Bleu-blanc-noir had the ambition to be airtight defensively against Atlanta United (13-8-10), but the second best attack in MLS was regularly decisive in the final third.
Xande Silva, Thiago Almada, Giorgos Giacoumakis and Edwin Mosquera found the back of the net for the Georgia team, which secured an Eastern Conference playoff spot with the win.
Atlanta United also completed the sweep of two games this season against CF Montreal (11-15-4) and has still not suffered a defeat at home against the Montrealers.
Ahmed Hamdi responded for Hernan Losada’s men, who have not won in their last five outings (0-3-2). The sum of results elsewhere in the Garber circuit has ensured that they temporarily remain in eighth place in the East, while the top nine in the standings participate in the playoffs.
Guilty of a foul and a red card at the end of the match, defender Joel Waterman will be suspended for CF Montreal’s next match, next Saturday against Orlando City SC.
The defense breaks
The Montrealers quickly came under pressure from Atlanta United in the first quarter of an hour and the home team took the opportunity to test the defensive block.
Despite the heat in the penalty area, the Bleu-blanc-noir held on, but what had to happen happened. By persisting, Gonzalo Pineda’s squad scored two goals in just three minutes.
On the right flank, Saba Lobjanidze delivered a beautiful low cross to the other side of the box, where Xande Silva sent the ball past goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois. Waterman thought he had managed to clear the ball before it crossed the goal line, but he arrived a split second too late.
At 33e minute, Caleb Wiley made a long run down the left side and slipped the ball to Xande Silva, who got rid of Gabriele Corbo and Sirois before joining Almada alone in the penalty area. The 22-year-old Argentinian only had to complete the maneuver.
However, CF Montreal did not give up. At the 40e minute, Lassi Lappalainen mastered a long cross from Waterman and he brought the ball behind for Hamdi. The Egyptian fired a shot without warning that goalkeeper Brad Guzan was unable to stop.
The visitors’ efforts were canceled out early in the second half. After accepting a pass from Sirois, Corbo lacked lucidity and lost the ball to Giacoumakis, who finally lobbed it behind the Quebec goalkeeper.
The Montreal team knocked on the door a few minutes later, but the deflection of Chinonso Offor’s header hit the post to the right of Guzan.
The two teams then exchanged a few chances until Waterman received a red card for a foul against Jamal Thiare. Mosquera added a goal when his shot was deflected past Sirois by Nathan Saliba.