Atlanta United Aims for Third Straight Win Against CF Montreal
Atlanta United will look to continue their positive trend when they host CF Montreal on Saturday night. Currently, Atlanta (2-7-1, 7 points) sits just above the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference standings but is buoyed by a two-game winning streak. This includes a 2-0 victory over Charlotte FC in the Round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup earlier this week.
The last two matches have offered a welcome break for a team that struggled at the season’s start.
“We want soccer that fans find exciting, that wins games and (makes) opponents (not) want to come and play us,” Atlanta midfielder Will Reilly stated. “I don’t think we’re anywhere near how we want to be playing, but we’re in the right direction now.”
CF Montreal (3-6-0, 9 points) comes into this match with newfound confidence after winning their first two games under interim head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. They achieved a 4-1 victory against the New York Red Bulls on April 17 and secured a narrow 1-0 win over New York City FC on April 25, thanks to Prince Owusu’s sixth goal of the season.
“We have a lot of belief in the squad we have right now, not only our starting 11, but the depth we have,” remarked Montreal defender Jalen Neal. “We’re all on the same page with our tactics. So, yeah, we’re looking like a team that can fire on a lot of cylinders right now.”
Atlanta United seeks to break a four-match home winless streak (0-3-1), while Montreal has struggled on the road with a 1-5-0 record and has lost their last three matches away from Stade Saputo.
Leading Atlanta in scoring is Alexey Miranchuk, who has six goals across all competitions and has found the back of the net in consecutive matches. On the other side, Owusu has contributed significantly with two goals and two assists in his past two outings.
Atlanta head coach Tata Martino has noted that Miguel Almiron (knee) is questionable for Saturday’s match.