Orlando City (10-5-8, 38 pts) gets back to Exploria Stadium this Wednesday night, taking on CF Montréal (8-8-7, 31 pts) for the first time in 2021. The match, presented by Pepsi, is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised locally on FOX35 PLUS and LionNation TV with pre-game coverage beginning at 7 p.m. Local radio coverage will be available from 7 p.m. on FM 96.9 the Game in English and Acción 97.9 FM in Spanish.
Here’s everything you need to know about Montréal:
Key Transactions and Player News
Key Additions - Head Coach Wilfried Nancy (promoted), CAM Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire), CB/LB Kamal Miller (Orlando City), CB Kiki Struna (Houston Dynamo), RW Joaquín Torres (Newell’s Old Boys, loan), LB Zorhan Bassong (Cercle Brugge), CF Bjørn Johnsen (Ulsan Hyundai)
Key Departures - Head Coach Thierry Henry, F Bojan (Vissel Kobe), CB/RB Jukka Raitala (Minnesota United), CM Amar Sejdic (Atlanta United), CF Erik Hurtado (Columbus), GK Clement Diop (released)
News - Montréal’s debut season after dropping the “Impact” moniker took an unexpected twist when Thierry Henry left the club to be closer to his family in Europe. Assistant coach Wilfried Nancy was promoted and has led one of the more under-the-radar success stories of the 2021 MLS season. Montréal sits in playoff position about two-thirds of the way through the season as Nancy has cobbled together a squad filled with MLS veterans and talented youngsters. Recently, the club mutually parted ways with former starting goalkeeper Diop, turning to Quebec native James Pantemis between the pipes.
Take a look at Montréal’s full roster here.
Team Form
Montréal has been the quintessential .500 team in 2021. The club won its first three July games before losing the next three, and has hovered around the playoff line in the East throughout the entire season. A four-game unbeaten run was snapped this past weekend when Montréal was defeated for just the second time this year at home in a 1-0 loss to Nashville SC. Remarkably, a different player has scored each of Montréal’s last nine goals going back to the beginning of August.
Head-to-Head
Orlando City has a three-game winning streak against Montréal in all competitions going back to June 1, 2019, a 3-0 Lions win in which Nani scored his 100th career club goal. Orlando picked up a pair of 1-0 wins against the former Impact last season, the first in the MLS is Back Tournament Round of 16 and the second a week prior to Decision Day. The Lions have a 280-minute shutout streak against Montréal going back to March 16, 2019.
Rasmussen University Fact
Of Montréal’s 21 goals against Orlando City since the Lions entered MLS in 2015, 10 of them were scored by Ignacio Piatti, who holds the record for the most goals ever scored against Orlando City. Unfortunately for Montréal, though, Piatti left the club in 2019, and Montréal has failed to score even once against Orlando since his departure.
