CF Montreal faces the Chicago Fire on Saturday looking to extend its unbeaten streak to three games and keep its postseason hopes alive.
Montreal (7 wins, 12 losses, 10 ties, 31 points) is currently 13th in the Eastern Conference but just two points outside the MLS Cup playoff line.
Montreal overcame a 2-0 halftime deficit to earn a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution on Wednesday to earn a point.
“I thought they played great,” Montreal coach Laurent Courtois said. “Perfect? ​​No, they weren’t. But they were great in the sense of filling in the gaps and filling in for their teammates, and their individual defensive tracking was great. They made some good, quality plays.”
Snoush Ibrahim leads Montreal with six goals in 23 games this season, while Josef Martinez has contributed eight goals (five goals, three assists) in 18 games.
Saturday will be the final game of the season series between the two teams. Chicago and Montreal last met in the Windy City on March 16, with the Fire scoring two goals after 90 minutes to win 4-3.
The Fire (7 wins, 15 losses, 8 ties, 29 points) have won just one of their past six games (1 win, 4 losses, 1 draw) and enter Saturday’s game in 14th place in the East Division, two points behind Montreal.
Chicago lost 1-0 to Nashville SC on Wednesday. With four games remaining, the Fire are four points below the playoff line.
“They scored a goal, but we were dominant in the second half. We had the ball, but we needed to speed up the play. When you have 10 guys behind the ball, you have to move the ball quicker,” Chicago coach Frank Klopas said.
“It’s always tough to concede the first goal away from home.”
Hugo Kuipers has a team-high 10 goals in 29 games this season, while Brian Gutierrez has contributed nine goals (six goals, three assists) in 28 games with Chicago.
–Field Level Media
