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Montreal Gazette
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
CF Montréal tripped 2-1 by Mexican side Toluca in Leagues Cup
Club de Foot Montreal HARRISON — Three goals in a span of six minutes took care of all the scoring. Unfortunately for CF Montréal, the Major League Soccer club only had one of them as it dropped a 2-1 Leagues Cup decision to LIGA MX side Toluca on Friday night at Sports Illustrated Stadium, the home of the MLS New York Red Bulls. Montreal, which opened Leagues Cup play on Tuesday with a 7-6 victory on penalty kicks against Leon after the teams played to a 1-1 draw in regulation at Saputo Stadium, got on the board first Friday when Efrain Morales scored in the 20th minute. Jesús Angulo scored for Toluca three minutes later to tie the match 1-1, then Paulinho scored the winner in the 26th minute. Toluca controlled 55 per cent of the possession and outshot Montreal 17-9 (including 9-2 on goal). Montreal was given the lone yellow card of the match. Montreal's next game is Tuesday when it hosts Puebla. The Leagues Cup is a month-long tournament featuring 18 Major League Soccer teams and 18 teams from Mexico's LIGA MX, with the top three finishers earning spots in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Montreal Gazette
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Soccer legend Lionel Messi scores twice in Inter Miami's 4-1 win over CF Montréal
Club de Foot Montreal Lionel Messi put on a show Saturday in Montreal. The Argentine superstar — widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time — delivered two stellar goals and added an assist to lead Inter Miami past CF Montréal 4-1 in MLS play at a raucous Saputo Stadium. Messi scored in the first half with a curling shot into the bottom-left corner. Then he dribbled down the midfield, sliced through several blue jerseys and finished into the top-right corner for a highlight-reel goal in the second half, bringing fans to their feet. Tadeo Allende and Telasco Segovia also scored for Miami (9-3-5), which returned to MLS action after playing in the FIFA Club World Cup. Miami dropped out of the tournament in the round of 16 last Sunday with a 4-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain. Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, was named to Miami's starting 11 alongside fellow former FC Barcelona stars Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Prince Owusu replied with his fourth goal in four games for Montreal (3-13-5). Marco Donadel's side sits last in the Eastern Conference and has just one home win in 10 outings, a 1-0 victory over New York City FC last Saturday. The sellout crowd featured plenty of Argentine blue and Inter Miami pink — one fan even wore a Messi tracksuit and goat mask. Fans chanted 'Messi! Messi! Messi!' throughout the match. And when Messi took a corner kick early on, spectators left their seats and piled into the lower parts of the stands to get a closer look. Hordes of fans also swarmed a downtown Montreal hotel to catch a glimpse of the global icon after he landed in Montreal on Friday night. Many more lined the streets with signs outside Saputo Stadium hours before kickoff to watch Messi step off the team bus. It was Messi's fourth match on Canadian soil, and second in Montreal. The 38-year-old played his first professional game in Canada on May 11, 2024, when he was held off the scoresheet in a 3-2 Miami win over Montreal. Saturday's match looked a little different. Trailing 1-0, Miami equalized in the 33rd minute when Allende scored with a long-range shot after receiving the ball from Messi. Miami's superstar gave the crowd more to cheer for in the 40th by dribbling into the box, cutting to his left foot and curling a shot to give the visiting side a 2-1 lead. Messi even factored into Owusu's opening goal, putting the ball on a platter for Montreal's striker with a costly giveaway in the game's second minute. Owusu only needed one touch to blast a shot past Miami 'keeper Óscar Ustari from the edge of the box. Segovia gave Miami a 3-1 lead in the 62nd minute with a superb shot off the crossbar and in. Two minutes later, Messi danced through the Montreal defence with the ball on a string and buried his second of the night — and 12th of the season. Messi appeared to score a hat-trick goal in second-half stoppage time, but the play was ruled offside. Miami outshot Montreal 15-13 (9-8 on target) and held 58 per cent of possession. Montreal hosts the Canadian Premier League's Forge FC in the second leg of the Canadian Championship quarter-final Wednesday. This story was originally published July 5, 2025 at 10:13 PM.
Montreal Gazette
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
CF Montréal vows to ‘undertake a rebuild' in letter to fans amid dreadful season
Club de Foot Montreal In the midst of a disastrous season where the team sits last overall in the MLS standings, CF Montréal has promised to 'undertake a rebuild' in a letter addressed to fans on Wednesday. In a note signed by president and CEO Gabriel Gervais, along with team owner Joey Saputo's sons Luca and Simone, the soccer club acknowledged it has 'not met the standards we set for ourselves.' Letter to the fans from Gabriel, Luca and Simone. #CFMTL — CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) July 23, 2025 After 24 games, CF Montréal has a 3-6-15 record and is tied for last overall in the league with only 20 goals scored. 'We share your dissatisfaction with the Club's results, and it is our responsibility to build a winning team that we can all be proud of. 'That is why we have decided to undertake a rebuild and launch a new chapter of CF Montréal. A chapter based on ambition and pride. A new era with victory at the heart of our sporting ambitions, while also honouring our rich history and the connection with you, our 12th player.' The team also promised to take 'concrete steps' during the coming transfer window aimed at 'rebuilding, together, a club that deserves your loyalty.' In a restructuring last year, Luca Saputo was named managing director (recruitment and sporting methodology) while Simone became managing director (academy strategy and roster management). Gervais has been president and CEO since 2022. The team made headlines this month when Inter Miami forward and soccer legend Lionel Messi scored twice in a stellar performance to lead his club to a 4-1 victory at Saputo Stadium. Days later, CF Montréal was eliminated by Canadian Premier League club Forge FC from the Canadian Championship for the second consecutive year.
Montreal Gazette
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
CF Montréal remains winless at home with 3-1 loss to FC Cincinnati
Club de Foot Montreal Prince Owusu can feel the pressure building with losses piling up at Stade Saputo. CF Montreal remains winless at home after losing 3-1 to FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer action Wednesday night. 'We want it so much that I feel like we get stiff,' the German forward said. 'We have to get this stiffness away, communicate more and be brave. 'We play too hectic, or too nervous, at home than away. I think we have to find solutions for that.' Brazilian midfielder Evander scored twice to reach nine goals on the season while fellow star player Luca Orellano also found the back of the net for Cincinnati (11-5-3), which ranks second in the Eastern Conference. Cincinnati had one victory in its previous five games. Owusu converted his third goal in two games for Montreal (2-12-5). The club failed to carry momentum into the match after earning its second win this season, 3-1 on the road over the Houston Dynamo on June 14. Montreal, which sits last in the East, fell to 0-5-3 at Stade Saputo. 'The confidence that we usually need to have as the home team is right now not there,' Owusu said. 'It's a mental thing, to be honest, because away you could see — we play.' Assistant coach David Sauvry filled in for Marco Donadel along the touchline while the interim head coach served a one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards. Sauvry said his squad played a solid first 30 minutes, but a breakdown late in the first half changed the course of the match as Montreal tried to erase a deficit. 'For me, the moment you concede the first goal, it's not the same,' he said. 'The energy level when you're pushing to come back and when you're trying to score and exploit some moments, it's not the same.' Evander opened the scoring just before first-half injury time when he controlled a hard cross from DeAndre Yedlin and slotted a left-footed finish past Montreal 'keeper Jonathan Sirois on a balmy, 25 C evening. Yedlin broke down the right side, overlapping a confused Montreal defence, before finding Evander, who was named to the MLS all-star roster earlier Wednesday. 'We have to be more focused,' centre back George Campbell said. 'We can't just pick our target and then let them run in behind us or dribble past us.' Adding to the defeat, centre back Jalen Neal, attacking midfielder Caden Clark and captain Samuel Piette exited the match with apparent injuries. Piette's ailment seemed to be the least serious of the three. Sauvry did not have an update post-game. 'It's terrible for the team,' Campbell said. 'But we have other guys ready to play and we need to be encouraged that those guys can do the same job, if not better.' Montreal substitute Dante Sealy, moments after coming on the field in the 55th minute, nearly equalized by cutting inside to his left foot, but sent his shot from the top of the box just over the bar. After Cincinnati top scorer Kévin Denkey failed to convert a quality chance, Orellano dribbled through Montreal's defence for a flashy goal to double the lead in the 65th minute. Evander made it a brace in the 83rd, finishing Lukas Engel's low pass from the centre of the box to make it 3-0. 'They have a lot of quality, but I think they didn't play their best game today, so it was a big chance for us to win this game,' Owusu said. 'Sometimes I had the feeling we had too much respect for them.' Owusu got Montreal on the board with a beautiful header off Jules-Anthony Vilsaint's cross in the 89th minute. Cincinnati looked like the stronger side in the first half, edging Montreal 7-5 on the shot count, including 5-1 on target. Montreal created chances early in the first 45 minutes. Clark sent a superb through ball with Tom Pearce streaking down the left side in the seventh minute, but Pearce shot wide on a golden opportunity. Pearce was at it again in the 13th minute. This time he blasted down the left wing and fired a sharp-angle attempt at the near post, but Celentano turned it aside with his right arm. 'We have to analyze this game tomorrow and take the good parts, learn from the mistakes,' Owusu said. 'That's a big thing this season. To learn from the mistakes, because we do too many individual mistakes again and again and again.' Montreal has the lowest payroll in the league once again, according to figures released Wednesday by the MLS Players Association. The roster's total salary adds up to US$11.99 million, roughly 1.3 million less than the next-closest Philadelphia Union. Cincinnati, meanwhile, has the league's fourth-highest payroll of $23.18 million. Cincinnati: Visits Orlando SC on Saturday.
Montreal Gazette
27-05-2025
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Despite abysmal record, CF Montréal sticking with developmental philosophy
Club de Foot Montreal By La Presse Canadienne CF Montréal's development project is here to stay, and the results of the 2025 season won't change a thing. Fans who turned out at Saputo Stadium last Saturday night saw a number of star players. The problem was, they were all wearing Los Angeles FC jerseys. One of them, Olivier Giroud, made the difference and tied the game in the second half, only five minutes after coming on as a substitute. That's the kind of tangible impact a player earning US$2.8 million — roughly two-thirds of the bleu-blanc-noir's payroll — can have. Nevertheless, that's not what's going to convince CF Montréal president and CEO Gabriel Gervais to go on a spending spree. If a star player were to arrive in town, he would have to fit in very well with the club's philosophy without undermining youth development. 'If there's a concrete opportunity that doesn't sacrifice everything else, and it's a veteran who can help drive progress, we'll take it,' Gervais said on Monday at a news conference that took stock of the team's very difficult start to the season. I'm not going to hide from you, either; we're going to bank on investments from the under-22s, like Hennadii Synchuk.' Pulling out the chequebook for Giroud, or even Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and company would not be viable for the Montreal market, not least because ticket prices could double, Gervais argued. In the meantime, fans will have to make do with watching those types of stars when they face off against CF Montréal. And what to make of the strategy Gervais and senior management are betting on? The objective is clear: Acquire young players, develop them and then sell them. And the wheel turns. If, in the meantime, the team can manage to qualify for the MLS playoffs, as it did last year, then that's a bonus. This season, that goal appears far out of reach. Montreal's 1-9-5 record in MLS and defeat in the first leg of the Canadian Championship quarterfinals against Hamilton's Forge FC might have raised doubts, but Gervais insists the team's philosophy has not wavered. The president did say, however, that the desire to win was still very strong within the organization and that introspection had been carried out on how to get there. 'We want to develop young players, have a local flavour, graduate players from the Academy, but we want to win,' he said. With the Montrealers occupying second-to-last place in the overall MLS standings, fans are entitled to wonder whether the losing environment might be hindering the progression of the team's youngsters. While he's not happy about the current situation, Gervais says the experience the organization's young players have had this season could serve to build character. 'It's possible to develop under any circumstances. We're in a difficult period, but our young players are going through it. If you always develop by winning, do you know how to get through the tougher times? Obviously, we'd like to be in a better situation, but every defeat is an opportunity to learn. Of course, when the collective is successful, it's easier for the personal project,' the president said. In the short term, Gervais is optimistic he can field a competitive team and turn things around. 'There's still a lot of soccer to be played,' he noted. 'Anything can happen during the rest of the season; I talked about that last year, too, when we had very little chance of making the playoffs. The players, coaches and organization believe in it, and we're asking our fans to believe in it. There's the return leg of the Canadian Championship, too, and the League Cup is coming up. We're aware that we need to make changes to improve the team on the field.'
