Union Matchday 4 Preview: Olympique Magnifique

What a difference a few games make. After stumbling in their game against Miami, the Union came against Chicago looking to make a statement. While it wasn’t the prettiest of games, the Union was able to pull out a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Joaquin Torres shot from range in the dying moments of the game. This came not too long after the nil-nil draw on the road in El Salvador against Allianza in the first leg of their CCL matchup. Fans started to wonder if this team was slipping up or if the Chicago game was the start of something big.

The team then came out at home against Allianza and certainly made a statement winning 4-0. In a heavily rotated lineup, the Union were on the front foot from the very beginning and absolutely got a gift when the Allianza left back received his second yellow card of the game just forty minutes into the game. Damion Lowe nodded home his first Union goal in just his second start of the season. Daniel Gazdag cooly put home a PK in the second half while Andres Parea got a brace coming off the bench late in the half.

CF Montreal vs Philadelphia Union Preview

The team is riding high on a solid two-game winning streak in all competitions heading into this north-of-the-border matchup against a struggling Montreal side. Let’s take a look at how Montreal has done this season, a player to watch out for, and a final score prediction for the Union’s first foray into the land of poutine and maple syrup.

2023 MLS Season

Oh, how things can change for a team from one season to the next. After a 2022 season that saw Montreal finish in second place and just two points back of the eastern conference champions Philadelphia Union, the offseason and start of the 2023 season have not been kind at all to CF Montreal. Gone are the likes of Djordje Mihailovic, Alistair Johnston, Kei Kamara, and head coach Wilfred Nancy. Former DC United coach Hernan Losada took over as head coach, which certainly puzzled many around the league given his short and not very productive spell in the nation’s capital.

Concerns about where the goals were going to come from for this side have been rightfully not answered so far. Through three games, Montreal has a record of 0-3-0 with no wins, three losses, and no draws. They have not scored a single goal to this point in the season and are only in fourteenth place simply by a better goal differential than Charlotte of one goal. It may be a little early for fans to be pushing the panic button but this start to the season is starting to worry some.

Philadelphia Union win 1-0 over Chicago Fire thanks to late Torres goal

X-Factor

Despite the team having scored no goals to this point in the season, there still is one player on this CF Montreal side that does concern me when he is on his game and in form. The player in question is one who has been around this league for a while and knows how to put the ball in the back of the net when he can stay on the field. This person is none other than forward Romell Quioto.

While not having any goals so far this season, Quioto is one who can make defense lives a nightmare with his pace and ability to shrug defenders off. He has no problem linking up with others in the midfield and loves pulling defenses apart while making those darting runs into the box. He is always a danger to score and the Union defense will need to be on their game to make sure that he does not get on the score sheet.

Prediction

This game has all the makings of a trap game for the Union. A team that has yet to put the ball in the back of the net under a new coach is one where fans would feel like this is an easy win. Road games are never easy and the Olympic stadium field is one that is not of the best quality. That being said, I don’t see any reason why the Union can’t get their first road win of the season.

This Montreal defense is one that can be picked apart and they do not have the offense that they did last season to back it up. The Union will want to build on the confident offensive display from their home CCL match and I think it certainly carries into this game. Put me down for a 2-0 Union win. Game time on Saturday is 7:30 pm.