Columbus Crew v CF Montreal: Farsi lauds ´great tactician´ Nancy after fine start

Mo Farsi sung the praises of Columbus Crew caput manager Wilfried Nancy aft different good commencement to their MLS campaign.

Farsi arrived successful Columbus successful 2022 from Cavalry FC and has made 93 appearances for the Crew crossed each competitions, scoring 5 goals and registering 13 assists.

He was an integral portion of the squad that lifted the MLS Cup successful 2023 arsenic good arsenic the Leagues Cup past season, with Columbus kicking connected already this season.

They beryllium 3rd successful the Eastern Conference standings, 1 constituent down leaders Inter Miami, and look CF Montreal this weekend, who are yet to prime up a victory.

Farsi’s performances person seen him go a mainstay successful the team, but the 25-year-old midfielder said that his signifier with the Crew was simply down to Nancy’s management.

“I person been honoured to beryllium a portion of his squad since 2023, erstwhile helium arrived,” helium said. “He is simply a large tactician. We tin each spot however we play.

“Of course, teams effort to accommodate to us, but helium ever seems to person an answer. I person learned a batch [under Nancy]. I emotion to play successful a back-three.

“He gave maine immoderate state connected my side, and helped maine scope different level, to beryllium a amended player, truthful I americium precise blessed and look guardant to continuing to enactment with him.”

Good vibes lone #Crew96 @WhiteClaw pic.twitter.com/MRjWDfloTS

— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) March 31, 2025

Montreal, meanwhile, picked up conscionable their 2nd constituent of the play aft drafting 1-1 with chap strugglers successful their past MLS encounter.

It was the archetypal crippled that Montreal had played since the sacking of Laurent Courtois, with the 46-year-old dismissed aft overseeing their worst commencement to a play since 2012.

Interim caput manager Marco Donadel was pleased with their show against the Fire past clip out, and is looking to proceed to instrumentality his benignant moving forward.

“We are happy. It’s a precise bully performance. We are satisfied with the performance, but we are not satisfied with the result,” Donadel said.

“I instantly saw successful the guys’ eyes that they were, of course, blessed and relieved. But astatine the aforesaid time, they weren’t truly blessed and that’s a precise bully happening successful my opinion.

“We privation to play with the shot and we are not satisfied erstwhile the hostile tries to play.

“It’s thing they showed and I’m precise blessed due to the fact that contiguous I asked them that, and lone that, and they did it.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi

Rossi scored his 2nd brace of the play successful the Crew’s triumph implicit D.C. United connected Saturday.

The Uruguayan, on with Tani Oluwaseyi and Tai Baribo, is 1 of 3 players with much than 1 multi-goal crippled this season.

CF Montreal – Price Owusu

Montreal person scored conscionable 3 goals this season, the joint-lowest successful the Eastern Conference (level with the New England Revolution), but person had 7 antithetic players who person recorded a extremity contribution.

Owusu (one goal, 1 assist) is the lone subordinate to beryllium progressive successful much than one, and helium volition beryllium cardinal if Montreal are to upset the Crew this weekend.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN

The Crew are unbeaten successful 5 consecutive matches against Montreal (W3 D2), equalling the longest tally by either squad against the different successful the 31 all-time meetings betwixt the sides.

Columbus are besides unbeaten done six matches of a play for the 3rd clip successful nine past aft doing truthful successful 2010 and 2020. The lone run they went longer earlier their archetypal regular-season nonaccomplishment was 2010 (eight games).

Montreal, meanwhile, person conscionable 2 points done six matches of a play for the archetypal clip successful nine history. They are 1 of 5 teams with 2 oregon less points this season, the astir teams with less than 3 points aft six matches of a play successful MLS history.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Columbus Crew – 69.9%

Draw – 16.9%

CF Montreal – 13.1%