In-form CF Montreal looks to continue playoff push, but has had trouble with NYCFC

CF Montreal looks for a fourth-straight Major League Soccer win and more momentum in its playoff push when it visits New York City FC on Wednesday. CF Montreal's George Campbell, right, celebrates with teammate Joel Waterman after scoring against the New England Revolution during second half MLS soccer action in Montreal, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

CF Montreal looks for a fourth-straight Major League Soccer win and more momentum in its playoff push when it visits New York City FC on Wednesday.

After a three-week break due to its elimination from the mid-season Leagues Cup tournament, Montreal (11-12-2) has begun the final push for the post-season with two wins, including just their second on the road this season.

Montreal also entered the break on a winning note with a 2-0 win over Charlotte.

On the other hand, New York (5-10-11) has struggled this season, winning just one of its last 17 regular season games.

However, that win was 1 -0 victory over Montreal at Stade Saputo. NYCFC has had Montreal's number joining MLS in 2015, losing just two of their 18 matchups in all competitions.

"It would be beautiful to keep this momentum and to keep winning games. The one thing you want to do (when you play a team below you in the standings) is to make sure they don't get hope and feel you can catch up," said Montreal head coach Hernan Losada. "They got seven new players during this window, so that's a lot of reinforcements to make sure they are ready for the final push."

Montreal will be looking over its shoulder as the race for the final playoff spots begin to heat up. The six of the team's final nine games are against clubs that are close in the standings.

Montreal controls its destiny and needs only to maintain its positive results to ensure a post-season berth. However, dropping points against chasing teams would narrow the gap Montreal has built during its win streak.

"We naturally look at the table to kind of see where we're at, but it's also important to focus on ourselves and our games," said midfielder Mathieu Choiniere. "As long as we can get into the playoffs and finish as high as possible, that's our only objective."

One of the peculiarities of playing against New York City FC on the road is Yankee Stadium. Montreal is used to the Stade Saputo pitch -- the largest in MLS at 7,700 square metres -- but will now have to adapt to the baseball diamond-turned-soccer pitch that only clocks in at 6,464 square metres, the league's smallest.

Even without having to adjust to a significantly smaller pitch, Montreal's performances away from home have been inconsistent, taking away only eight points from 13 games this season.

"It's a very different challenge and we're going to have to think on our feet a lot quicker. They're used to playing in these tight spaces with a lot of technical quality, so we have a short time to train that and get more comfortable," Losada said. "We know (playing away) is a point to improve and we've been working hard on that for the past three or four weeks. I think you're going to see a better version."

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2023.