MONTREAL — CF Montreal is well aware of the motivation of being an underdog, so it's not surprising to see the team wary of Atlanta United ahead of its Eastern Conference wild-card match.
It might not have been the expected Major League Soccer playoff matchup a month ago, but the two teams will face off on Tuesday night at Saputo Stadium. The stakes are clear: the winner will play a best-of-three series against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in the first round.
Six weeks ago, Montreal wouldn’t have imagined itself in eighth place in the East and hosting ninth-place Atlanta in a playoff game. But the team’s 5-1-1 record in the last seven matches of the season completed a significant turnaround.
Despite the run of form, Montreal (11-13-10) isn't ready to fully embrace its role as the favourite.
"In the form we’re in right now and the fact it's a home game, it's fair to put (us) as favourites, but we’re not going into this game thinking this is going to be easy,” midfielder Caden Clark said Monday before training.
“We’re taking it very seriously and trying to keep the underdog mentality because it seems to be working for us.”
After losing to Montreal at home on Oct. 2, Atlanta (10-14-10) was on the brink of elimination. The team then beat the New York Red Bulls to bring back hope and squeaked in on Decision Day — the final day of the regular season.
A brave win in Orlando combined with a home defeat for D.C. United transformed Atlanta’s 10-per cent chance of making the playoffs into a visit to Saputo Stadium.
Although Montreal's streak is impressive, so is Atlanta’s end to the season, head coach Laurent Courtois said.
"They congratulated us in Atlanta and wished us good luck. They were ready to give up in a way, and they took a big hit when we won on their field,” Courtois said. “In the end, here they are. I think they have a lot of momentum and they won in Orlando, so we have to be careful.”
Courtois’s squad won both matches against Atlanta this season. Montreal’s victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium also proved to be crucial to making the post-season.
But Courtois believes past results are irrelevant at this stage and that anything can happen in the playoffs.
"It doesn’t mean anything that we won twice against them," he said. "For me, they are one of the best teams in the league. They’ve come back from a tough spot, and now it's a playoff game. The past is behind us. It's a blank slate."
Montreal will need its attacking trio of Clark, Josef Martinez and Bryce Duke to stay hot. The three players have combined for 11 goals and seven assists over Montreal’s last seven games.
Martinez, who won the MLS Cup with Atlanta in 2018, scored both of Montreal’s goals against his former club three weeks ago. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Venezuelan striker raise his game again on Tuesday, having played in 10 MLS playoff games in his career.
"When you have history with a club and stuff like that, it always adds a bit of motivation. You saw it when we played Atlanta away, two goals," Duke said. "You saw how much it means to him.”
Centre back Joel Waterman replaced suspended central midfielder Nathan Saliba during Montreal’s 2-0 win over New York City FC on Decision Day.
Now that Saliba is back, Courtois will have to decide whether or not Waterman returns to centre back. Gabriele Corbo took his spot on Saturday alongside Fernando Alvarez and George Campbell.
Courtois didn’t reveal anything about his lineup or possible changes, stating that he and his staff would "evaluate all of that."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
Simon Servant, The Canadian Press
