Philadelphia Union vs. CF Montreal Pick & Prediction MAR 18th 2023

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CF Montreal seeks their first win of the season Saturday, and to get one at home against defending Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Union, they'll need to score -- which is something they haven't done in the first three games.

Montreal (0-3-0, 0 points) is one of three MLS teams without any standings points in 2023, and the only team in the East that has yet to find the back of the net.

A fourth similarly frustrating result Saturday would match a record for futility, as the Impact would join 2007 Toronto FC as the only teams in MLS history to open a season with four consecutive scoreless defeats.

At least Montreal won't have to face one of the league's top goalkeepers, as Philadelphia (2-1-0, 6 points) will be without Andre Blake due to a non-contact injury he sustained last weekend in a 1-0 win against Chicago.

"Good news is that it is a Grade 1 adductor strain, which is the lowest grade possible," Union coach Jim Curtin told the MLS website, and indicated that Blake could return as soon as next weekend.

"He won't be a part of the Montreal game because he hasn't trained yet this week. Of all the news we could have gotten, that is as good as it we could get."

The Union are unbeaten in the last six meetings with Montreal (three wins and three draws).

But the Union has just two wins in its last eight games on the road.

Montreal will be without defender Kamal Miller and forward Romell Quioto, who have been called in by their national teams (Canada and Honduras) for their last matches of the CONCACAF Nations League group stage.

Montreal lost 2-0 at Nashville SC last week and has been outscored 5-0 in three matches this season.

"I want a team with less possession and more verticality and aggression," head coach Hernan Losada said. "We manage to cross, but we are not in the right place in the penalty box ... We manage to shoot, but they are not on target."

--Field Level Media

A costly red card to Julian Carranza of the Philadelphia Union opened the door for host CF Montreal to stage a wild late comeback, scoring two goals in the closing minutes to stun the defending Major League Soccer Eastern Conference champions for a 3-2 win Saturday.

Chinonso Offor tied the match at 2 in the 90th minute, following a shot off the underside of the crossbar with a header into the net. The winner came in the eighth minute of stoppage time, with Romell Quioto shedding his defender in the box and heading a long cross into the net.

Quioto leaped over the barrier behind the goal and rejoiced while fans in the seats were in a frenzy. It was his second goal of the night; his first had come less than three minutes into the match.

Quioto's performance offset two goals for Mikael Uhre in the second half for Philadelphia (2-2-0, 6 points). Montreal (1-3-0, 3 points) scored its first three goals of the season.

Uhre, a 28-year-old forward and designated player from Denmark, logged his first two goals of the season after scoring 13 in 2022. The Union were without their top goalkeeper, Andre Blake, due to injury.

Quioto, who is to leave to join his national team, Honduras, for upcoming international matches, converted a penalty kick in the third minute of the match after a handball by the Union in the box.

After Philadelphia went scoreless in the first half, the Union needed just 21 seconds into the second half to tie the match. Uhre was the beneficiary of a turnover and assist from Daniel Gazdag, who also had a hand in Uhre's second goal in the 60th minute.

Jose Martinez also assisted on the second goal for the Union, who had not lost to Montreal in the previous six meetings.

Carranza's foul came in the 69th minute.

--Field Level Media