CF Montreal v Columbus Crew: First win ´a big step forward´, says Donadel

CF Montreal interim caput manager Marco Donadel believes his squad person taken “a large measurement forward” aft getting their archetypal triumph of the play past clip out.

Donadel watched connected arsenic his players enactment connected an awesome show to bushed New York City FC 1-0 distant from home, ending an 11-game winless streak.

It has been a hard run frankincense acold for Montreal, who are inactive bottommost of the Eastern Conference, though Donadel believes this could beryllium a turning constituent successful their season.

“We showed that contiguous we person taken a large measurement forward. Not conscionable by getting the 3 points, but due to the fact that we showed that we tin bash a batch of things connected the pitch,” Donadel said.

“It seems similar each the enactment we’ve done implicit the past six weeks has paid off. We showed that we tin play abbreviated erstwhile they springiness america space. We showed that erstwhile they wanted to property america higher, we could play much straight with a striker.

“We showed that we tin support high, but besides deep. And we showed that we could combat until the past minute. We showed that we tin woody with a deficiency of energy, similar astatine the extremity of the archetypal half. We showed a batch of things, and that’s wherefore we won.”

Première victoire en MLS determination Marco Donadel

First triumph successful MLS for interim caput manager Marco Donadel #CFMTL pic.twitter.com/32AkERwzJI

— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) May 11, 2025

Montreal volition beryllium hoping to physique connected that winning momentum against the Columbus Crew successful midweek, though they look a pugnacious trial against Wilfried Nancy’s high-flyers.

The Crew beryllium 2nd successful the Eastern Conference but relinquished apical spot to FC Cincinnati aft they snatched a precocious gully against the Philadelphia Union successful their past encounter.

Though failing to stay astatine the summit, caput manager Nancy credited his team’s mindset for being capable to assertion a gully against a imaginable playoff rival this season.

“What I privation to item is the mindset of my team, coming from down doubly until the extremity trying to find a mode to travel backmost and to people the 2nd goal,” Nancy said.

“We had wide besides chances to score, but it is truthful hard to play against [Philadelphia] due to the fact that they run, they run, they are truly lively, and the players, they combat and fight.

“Really blessed that we were capable to lucifer their strength physically and to play the mode we privation to play. Again, a hard game, but successful a bully way.

“I deliberation that’s it’s a bully tie, but to beryllium honest, the archetypal extremity is simply a spot hard to accept.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Montreal – Prince Owusu

Owusu gave Montreal their archetypal pb of the play successful the 48th infinitesimal of their 1-0 triumph implicit NYCFC connected Saturday.

Montreal went an MLS-record 1037 minutes into the play earlier taking their archetypal pb of the campaign, and volition beryllium hoping a akin agelong does not hap again.

Columbus Crew – Sean Zawadzki

Zawadzki scored his seventh vocation MLS extremity connected Saturday, an equaliser successful the 3rd infinitesimal of second-half stoppage clip against Philadelphia past clip out.

Three of his 7 vocation MLS goals person been stoppage-time equalisers, though helium volition beryllium hoping helium tin assistance his broadside gain each 3 points this clip around.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN

Columbus person won their past 2 visits to Montreal, including a 3-1 triumph successful their past sojourn successful May 2024. Prior to this, they had managed conscionable 2 wins successful 11 all-time matches successful Montreal (D2 L7).

The Crew scored a stoppage-time equaliser to gain a 2-2 gully astatine Philadelphia connected Saturday. Columbus person conscionable 1 nonaccomplishment done 12 matches of a play for the 2nd clip successful nine past (first 13 successful 2020).

In their 3 location matches this season, Montreal has scored 1 extremity and earned 1 constituent (D1 L2). They are 1 of 4 MLS teams this twelvemonth (LA Galaxy, St. Louis City, Toronto) to beryllium held to nary much than 1 extremity successful their archetypal 3 location games, the astir successful a azygous play successful league history.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Montreal – 20.8%

Draw – 21.4%

Columbus Crew – 57.8%