CF Montreal holds Western leaders Real Salt Lake to a scoreless draw

MONTREAL — CF Montreal got four key players back from injury as they played to a 0-0 draw with Real Salt Lake on Saturday night at Stade Saputo.

It was Montreal’s (4-7-6) fourth 0-0 draw of the season, while Western Conference leaders Salt Lake City (9-2-7) extended their MLS unbeaten streak to 14 games .

Both teams started the match timidly, not pressing too high and leaving as little space as possible to exploit. It took 15 minutes for the first shot on goal to finally be registered, after which the tempo of the game increased significantly.

“I’m torn between regretting the chances we missed and not being too greedy because there was a very good team in front of us, so there are some mixed feelings,” Montreal head coach Laurent Courtois said.

“I’m really happy for the guys who are back and have put in a lot of effort, as has the staff, to get back to a good level, which also brings a whole new dynamic to training.”

Montreal had their best chance of the half when Dominic Iankov got on the end of a dangerous cross, but could only put the shot straight into the waiting hands of Salt Lake City goalkeeper Zac MacMath.

Real’s pace and aggression caused problems for Montreal, who continued to try to play from the back. They usually won the ball high up the pitch and although they couldn’t turn possession into a dangerous chance, they forced the hosts into several awkward defensive situations.

It took Montreal about half an hour to fully develop into the game and successfully shut down Salt Lake City’s high press, leading to a much more open game despite not having any breakthroughs in the early 45 minutes.

“It’s tricky when you play at home because the guys want to go hard and play with some pace, but you have to remember who’s in front of you,” Courtois said. “It was a bit too cautious in my opinion, but I can’t blame them because it’s a very thin margin until you open too fast.”

The game continued at this pace in the second half with both teams pushing for the first goal of the game. Diego Luna thought he had found a breakthrough just after the hour, but was rejected by the post.

With their defensive struggles this season, Montreal have been able to eliminate most of the threats from Real’s powerful attack. By shutting down MVP leader Cristian (Chicho) Arango, they kept MLS’ second-best offense off the score sheet for the first time since April 13 and just the third time all season.

“I watched his individual clips and had the right mindset during the week to make sure that when these top-level guys and MVP candidates come in here, they don’t get anything,” Montreal’s Joel Waterman said.

“Arango has been scoring goals in what seems like every game, so of course I’ll take that personally, he’s in my space and I go up against him more than anyone else.”

The second half also saw the return of four key players in Matias Coccaro, Mason Toye, Mahala Opoku and Lassi Lappalainen, who all missed significant time through injury. Their inclusion brought the injection of pace that was missing before, Montreal enjoyed most of the chances and offense, although it was not enough to secure the three points.

IT FOLLOWS

Both teams return to action on Wednesday when CF Montreal hosts New York Red Bull, while Real Salt Lake visits Sporting Kansas City.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 15, 2024.

Elias Grigoriadis, Canadian Press