Match Review: CF Montréal vs Atlanta United
By: Anthony Tazbaz
In the wake of Saturday's match between CF Montréal and Atlanta United at Stade Saputo, there is a lot to cover and critically review.
Ahead of the contest, Atlanta sat in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 32 points, whereas Montréal occupied the ninth and final Eastern Conference playoff position with 26 points. Atlanta also entered the match with momentum following last week's 2-0 win against rivals Philadelphia Union. Montréal, meanwhile, lost their Canada Day match 1-0 at Stade Saputo against New York City FC. I am convinced that Montréal are cursed against NYCFC because they have only defeated this club twice since their first dual in 2015.
The score finished 1-0 for Atlanta, thanks to a goal in the 54th minute by forward Brooks Lennon, who slotted in the rebound following an impressive save by Jonathan Sirois on Argentine prodigy Thiago Almada's impressive free kick, which was headed for the top right corner.
Although Montréal had the majority of possession (57%), they were devoid of creativity in the second half and efficiency throughout the match, mustering only one shot on target out of 15 total attempts. Atlanta were more efficient with seven attempts, three of which were on goal.
Although the officiating was mediocre at best, with poor calls and non-calls piling up in the final third of the match, the home side did not meet the standard of a winning performance by any means.
While almost all controversial calls and non-calls from last night likely would not have impacted the outcome of the match, the match was momentarily paused following a stoppage in play after Atlanta defender Juan Purata went down with an apparent hamstring injury at the top of Atlanta's 18-yard box amid a dangerous CF Montréal counterattack in stoppage time. Seeing the player down, the referee stopped the match, angering the entire stadium enough for many fans to throw beer cans and bottles onto the pitch, something I've never seen to that extent at Stade Saputo.
In what is definitely my hottest take of this piece, Purata's fall to the pitch was an act to stop the play. With barely any genuine care provided by Atlanta's medical officials, he was up and running seconds after his fall, having returned to play before the referee blew the whistle to resume play. Without hesitation, I am calling this a classless play by a defender who will do anything it takes to win.
However, the referee can count his blessings that he did not experience a situation where he had to make a major call that could have directly impacted the outcome of the match (i.e., a penalty shot or a red card).
With that being said, this lacklustre officiating will go unnoticed moving forward and will be quickly forgotten.
The outcome of this match results in a nine-point gap between the two clubs, Atlanta climbing to fifth in the East with 35 points, and Montréal suffering consecutive home losses for the first time since September 2020 (excluding 'home' matches played in Red Bull Arena during the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
This also marks the end of Montréal's four-game unbeaten streaks against the Georgian club, with Atlanta's last win before last night occurring on May 15, 2021 - a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium thanks to a Marcelino Moreno goal in the dying seconds of the match.
What does this mean for both clubs?
Atlanta: A crucial away win on a clean sheet coupled with a win against a conference rival the previous week spells very good signs for their playoff hopes and their ambitious quest to the top of the conference and the league. They now extend their solid form, where they only lost once in their last ten matches.
Montréal: Another home loss, another match without a goal. This is a worrying trend of the Québec club as they have now dropped eight of a possible nine points in their last three games. Worse, they failed to score in all three of those matches. With only one shot on target on home turf, it seems that the squad is slowly returning to their performances and form from earlier this season, at least offensively.
Bottom Line
Atlanta fans have every right to rejoice and be hopeful as the Leagues Cup approaches. On the flip side, the one thing that can reassure Montréal supporters is that they retain ninth place in their conference, with big matches to be played this week at Soldier Field against the Chicago Fire and a home match against Charlotte FC - both clubs are tied with Montréal at 26 points.
With these two matches remaining before a one-month MLS hiatus due to the Leagues Cup, this will be the perfect opportunity for Montréal to prove themselves to be a worthy playoffs contestant.
On a Personal Note
I believe that Atlanta will not only cruise to the MLS Cup Playoffs, but will be a dark horse in the Leagues Cup. Although they are not as talented as they were five years ago, they play with grit and determination and are very well organized. They are also gifted with an incredibly talented wonderkid in Tiago Almada, who will undoubtedly make the move to Europe in the offseason - multiple Serie A clubs reportedly inquired about him.
Montréal will definitely have to fight for their right to compete in the postseason. The second half of the regular season will be a massive test for head coach Hernán Losada's capabilities and versatility with his tactics and lineups.
Sporting Director Olivier Renard also concluded a massive deal by acquiring LAFC forward and Ghanaian international Kwadwo Opoku, who played an integral role in last season's MLS Supporters Shield and MLS Cup titles, as well as their run to the CONCACAF Champions League final earlier this season. He also hit his stride, meaning he will arrive in strong form and will definitely be a boon for Montréal's lacklustre offence.
If they can garner positive results (and score goals) against Chicago and Charlotte, I expect a decent performance in the League Cup, with both group matches on home turf and most potential knockout stage matches being at Stade Saputo as well - all thanks to their third-place overall finish in last year's MLS regular season.
If they fail to do so, however, I would not be surprised if they finish second in their Leagues Cup group (out of three teams) and subsequently crash out of the tournament in the following Round of 32… or even finish last and fail to qualify for the Round of 32.
I cannot emphasize the importance of this coming week for the club!
