CF Montreal Prepares for MLS Clash Against Orlando City Following Canadian Championship Victory
CF Montreal aims to capitalize on a decisive mid-week victory in the Canadian Championship as they prepare to host Orlando City on Saturday afternoon.
Montreal showcased their dominance over the Calgary Blizzard SC with a commanding 5-0 win on Wednesday night, advancing them to the quarterfinals.
“For all the players who have been playing a few minutes, it’s good that we had a lot of minutes today, so I’m really happy that we were able to win tonight,” said forward Daniel Rios.
“We’re working on getting our rhythm and the fine details of getting better each game.”
Montreal (3-7-0, 9 points) returns to MLS play looking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss at Atlanta last weekend, though they have managed to win two out of their last three matches (2-1-0).
German forward Prince Owusu leads Montreal with 10 goal contributions (six goals, four assists) in 10 MLS starts this season.
Saturday’s match marks the second and final regular-season meeting between Montreal and Orlando. The Lions secured a 2-1 home win on March 14, with midfielder Martin Ojeda scoring the crucial goal in the 31st minute.
Orlando (3-7-1, 10 points) heads north, seeking back-to-back wins after edging out Inter Miami 4-3 last Saturday, rallying from a three-goal deficit.
“We have analyzed them like they analyzed us,” said Orlando interim head coach Martin Perelman regarding Saturday’s encounter with Montreal. “We are going to prepare the game like we always do, knowing they are at home. We want to go there with a lot of energy, fighting like always for the points, because at the end of the day, it’s what we want.”
Orlando has a record of 4-5-3 at Montreal, having not tasted victory since Decision Day in 2021.
Ojeda, who netted a hat trick during the match against Miami, leads the Lions with seven goals in 11 starts this season. He has now achieved hat tricks in consecutive seasons.
The Argentine has become just the third player in club history to reach the 40-goal milestone across all competitions, joining Cyle Larin and Facundo Torres as the only Lions to accomplish this feat.