It has been another season of struggles for CF Montreal, but the club isn’t completely out of the playoff mix with 11 games remaining in the MLS season.
Montreal, which has missed the playoffs six of the last nine seasons, will aim to find the urgency necessary to keep its postseason hopes alive when it hosts Charlotte FC on Wednesday.
“There are two options for these last 11 games,” said Montreal interim coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “Show that we still believe — which is the case among the (coaching) staff — or just bide our time until the end of the season, in which case we’ll finish last.”
Montreal (5-12-6, 21 points) enters the match in the Eastern Conference basement and second to last overall, but it sits just six points back of the Philadelphia Union squad that holds the final playoff spot.
The Canadian side had a chance to pull closer when it faced Philadelphia on Saturday, but wound up on the wrong side of a 2-0 result.
“I told the guys that we believe in them, that we’re behind them, and that we’re going to push them,” Eullaffroy said. “We still believe we can make the playoffs, but we can’t do it for them. We can’t push for them or have the competitive mindset for them.”
It has been a different story for Charlotte (10-7-6, 36 points), which sits fifth in the Eastern Conference and just two points out of third.
The North Carolina squad heads across the border riding a five-game unbeaten streak — going 3-0-2 in that stretch — and has forged a 4-1-3 record since MLS play resumed following the World Cup.
Most recently, the club played to a 0-0 draw against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.
“We’re getting good shifts out of anybody who starts, and then the impact of substitutions coming on has been crucial for us,” said veteran Charlotte defender Tim Ream. “The team has jelled really well coming out of the World Cup and the performances show that. If we continue to do that, we know we’re a good team and we can keep the run going.”
–Field Level Media
