Two sides eager for three points square off when Charlotte FC visit CF Montreal on Saturday.
Charlotte (6-8-8, 26 points) has played to draws in five straight matches and hasn’t tasted victory since a 1-0 triumph against the Los Angeles Galaxy back on May 27. They lost two in a row prior to their current run of draws. They’ve had leads erased in three of their past four draws (the other was scoreless against Montreal), including a pair of 2-0 advantages.
The club sits three points behind the playoff line, tied with three other teams, including Montreal (8-12-2, 26 points).
“I think we need to score goals at certain times,” midfielder Scott Arfield said. “I think we’ve been in every game that we’ve played. We’ve drawn a lot of games in the last four to six weeks and I think you need to score at the right time to win these games because the transitions, you’re always going to get the transitions but it’s about picking your moment.”
Karol Swiderski leads the team with seven goals on the season after a brace last week in a 2-2 tie against FC Cincinnati. It marked the 10th multi-goal game by a Charlotte player since the club entered MLS last season. Only four other teams have more in that span.
Montreal will take to the pitch on short rest after Wednesday’s 3-0 road loss to the Chicago Fire. The Canadian side has dropped three straight, all by shutout. They’ve failed to score in four consecutive matches and five of their past seven.
They’ve also been shut out in two straight home matches after six consecutive wins. The club has never been shut out in three straight at home since entering MLS in 2012.
“We have to take more risks and try our luck a little more to score goals,” said defender Aaron Herrera, who recently returned from playing for Guatemala in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. “What you saw in the second half against Chicago, the freedom we played with, that’s what we need. We weren’t afraid of making mistakes. We talked about it amongst ourselves after the match. We saw that if we’re a little braver, it’ll pay off.”
The loss of forward Romell Quioto to a hamstring injury back in May hasn’t helped matters. Forward Chinonso Offor shares the team lead in goals with Quioto, with three goals apiece. Only three others have more than one goal this season — Mathieu Choiniere, Bryce Duke and Mason Toye.
Montreal is 2-0-1 in three all-time meetings against Charlotte.
–Field Level Media
