CF Montreal aim to stay hot in matchup vs. St. Louis City

It's too late for CF Montreal to make a playoff run, but they finally have found their best form of the season.

Unbeaten in its last five MLS matches, Montreal will try to keep its surge going Saturday night when it hosts St. Louis City SC.

CF Montreal (5-15-9, 24 points) are 2-0-3 in their last five matches, including a 1-1 draw vs. Toronto FC on Aug. 30. Montreal led 1-0 until Jonathan Osorio equalized in the 89th minute.

However, Montreal interim coach Marco Donadel said he has been pleased with his side's play and believes a week off will help the team continue to win.

"We're trying to give our best for the team to succeed in the remaining games of the season," he said. "We have enjoyed training this week without talking about the last game. We are back in our normal routine."

Prince Owusu has been the star offensively for Montreal with 12 goals in 29 matches, while Dante Sealy has six goals. Sealy, who has scored in three of his last four matches, tallied in the 84th minute to give his team a brief advantage in Toronto.

While Montreal enters Saturday's game playing its best soccer, St. Louis City's tragic number is one. A loss to Montreal will eliminate St. Louis from the playoffs for the second straight year, and even a win won't help if San Jose and Colorado are victorious.

St. Louis (5-17-7, 22 points) is coming off a frustrating 1-1 draw with FC Dallas last Saturday that saw it launch 41 shots, the second-most ever in an MLS match. Despite playing a 10-man opponent for the last 74 minutes after goalkeeper Michael Collodi was sent off, Celio Pompeu was the only man to find the back of the net.

For St. Louis interim coach David Critchley, the draw felt more like defeat.

"Overall, we couldn't find a way to win the game," he said. "We have to look at ourselves and think about how we can have that number of chances and not come away with three points."

Saturday will mark the first meeting between these clubs.

--Field Level Media