Atlanta United have clinched a playoff spot after beating Orlando City SC 2-1 on Saturday. They will go on the road to face CF Montréal at State Saputo Stadium on October 20 at 7:30 p.m. Before the upcoming match, let’s take a deep dive into the upcoming opponent for the Five Stripes.
How we got here:
CF Montréal clinched a playoff spot after beating NYCFC 2-0 at home on Decision Day. Caden Clark got Montreal on the board in the 18th minute earning his fourth goal of the season. Josef Martinez would double the lead in first half stoppage time. This will be the team’s second playoff appearance in the last seven seasons.
Finally found the Rhythm
CF Montreal have only had three losses since they got knocked out of the Leagues Cup back on August 9 and their record since then has been 5-3-1. Montreal has a lot of momentum heading into the MLS Wild Card game on Tuesday. They have only conceded one goal at home since their match versus Charlotte FC back on Sept. 14.
New Coach in Charge
Laurent Courtois was named as CF Montreal’s head coach back on January 8 2024. He was previously Columbus Crew II’s head coach and was named MLS Next Pro Coach of the Year and coached the club to its first ever championship. A after a difficult start to the season for Montreal, Courtois’s vision is slowly coming together as they head into the playoffs. However, it will be interesting to see how the team reacts to the quick turnaround and managing the match after the 2-0 victory on Saturday.
Series History
Atlanta United has seven wins over Montreal in their all-time meeting. Montreal does have the upper hand this season against the Five Stripes. They have won both meetings in the 2024 season, but one of those matches was very recent.
Montreal beat Atlanta 2-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Oct. 2, and this can help Atlanta get a better idea of how they will attack this upcoming match.
“In terms of the mentality, don’t settle now, you’ve got yourselves in on the last day, you stayed consistent, you kept fighting, you kept showing up so it’s just don’t let this be the end. It’s really the same mentality because we came into this knowing that we had to win the game to give ourselves a chance and it’s going to be the same in Montréal,” said Interim Head Coach Rob Valentino after Atlanta 2-1 victory over Orlando on Decision Day. “You’ve got to win the game to give yourself a fighting chance to move on. That won’t change but now get guys as fresh as they can to roll into the next game.”
You can watch the match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV or you can listen to the match on 92.9 The Game or on the Audacy app with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. and kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
✍️: Madison Crews
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