Game Day Hub: NYCFC vs CF Montréal in the Bronx

Welcome to Matchday 27, which has New York City FC hosting CF Montréal in the Bronx: It’s another must-win night for the Boys in Blue. Here is your NYCFC vs Montréal Game Day Hub.

Game Day Essentials

• Matchday 27: NYCFC vs CF Montréal
• Date and Time: Wednesday, August 30, 7:30 pm ET
• Kickoff Time: 7:39 pm ET
• Venue: Yankee Soccer Stadium
• Bruce Arena Forecast: Hot, sticky, 79˚F/26 ˚C
• Watch: Apple TV
• Apple TV Broadcast Team: Dre Cordero and Jamie Watson
• Listen: English and Spanish broadcasts on NYCFC Radio
• Officiating Crew: Fotis Bazakos (referee), Peter Balciunas and Matthew Nelson (assistant referees), Adam Kilpatrick (fourth official), Ismir Pekmic (VAR), Tom Supple (assistant VAR)

NYCFC vs Montréal preview

NYCFC must be happy to face Montréal: New York City’s one-goal win over Montréal at Stade Saputo in July is the cub’s only league victory since April, a 17 game-stretch that has seen them take just 11 points out of a possible 41.

But this isn’t the same Montréal that NYCFC faced in Quebec. Montréal sit in eighth place, and have put up impressive wins over Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution, and Nashville SC. They won both of their games since returning from Leagues Cup play: Once again, the small-budget but well-coached team is slaying the giants of MLS.

On the other side of the pitch, NYCFC are reeling. The club added a record six signings in the summer transfer window, but the on-field chemistry just isn’t there: First NYCFC lost at home to a Minnesota United they should have beaten, then put in a lifeless performance against an FC Cincinnati that deserved to win.

NYCFC vs Montréal H2H

NYCFC have utterly dominated Montréal. New York City’s 11 wins and +18 goal differential are the best posted by the club (NYCFC’s 11 wins and +17 goal differential over DC United are second-best), and you have to go way back to the summer of 2021 to find the most recent Montréal victory.

Oppo Research: 5 Things about CF Montréal

NYCFC

• Player Availability: James Sands remains questionable after missing the last game with a lower-body issue, but Santiago Rodríguez is back after recovering from a minor injury.
• Maxime Chanot will not be in the lineup, of course. A regular starter since joining NYCFC in 2016, Chanot left the team to join AC Ajaccio in France’s Ligue 2.
• Both Mitja Ilenič and Keaton Parks are one yellow card away from sitting out a game due to yellow card accumulation.
• Will Andrés Perea get his second start in place of Sands? His performance against FC Cincinnati over the weekend was one of the few promising aspects of an otherwise disastrous night.
• The official Hudson River Blue NYCFC Playoff Tracker remains stuck at 26 points for the second week running. We will update it the moment New York City put up a favorable result.

Birk Risa: How the defender is transforming NYCFC’s attack

CF Montréal

• Player Availability: Romell Quioto is out with a season-ending injury, and Montréal miss his goal production. Winger Ariel Lassiter is questionable.
• Montréal doesn’t score much in general, and they’re anemic on the road: They have just eight goals in 13 away games.
• The team doesn’t have much to offer in the way of forwards now that Quioto is sidelined, but a midfield anchored by Mathieu Choinière, Samuel Piette, and Victor Wanyama is difficult to contain.
• Is this a breakout season for 22-year-old goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois? The former backup is emerging as one of the league’s best shot-stoppers: His ten clean sheets are second only to Stefan Frei of the Seattle Sounders.
• You can read more about Montréal Oppo Research: 5 Things about CF Montréal

Instant Reaction: NYCFC’s season ended tonight