CF Montreal has surged above the Major League Soccer playoff line with a late-season unbeaten run.
Now the players will try to keep their foot on the gas and clinch their spot in the post-season.
鈥淭he most important thing is not to get complacent, not to get comfortable where we're at,鈥� goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois said Friday. 鈥淲e know, especially in this league, how everything could change after one game.鈥�
Montreal (10-12-10) won its third straight game by defeating Atlanta United 2-1 on Wednesday 鈥� its first road victory since March 10 鈥� and climbed to eighth in the Eastern Conference ahead of the penultimate Matchday at seventh-place Charlotte FC on Saturday.
Laurent Courtois鈥檚 side has 40 points, three clear of ninth-place Toronto FC, 10th-place Philadelphia Union and 11th-place D.C. United. Toronto, however, only has one game remaining on the calendar.
A victory on Saturday would guarantee Montreal a playoff berth provided one of D.C. or Philadelphia doesn't win their respective matches. If Montreal draws, it can still clinch if either D.C. or Philadelphia loses.
The eighth- and ninth-place teams face off in a wild-card game on Oct. 22. The winner would meet Argentine superstar Lionel Messi and Supporters鈥� Shield winners Inter Miami CF in a best-of-three series beginning Oct. 25.
Sirois hopes Montreal can secure its place before meeting New York City FC at home on MLS Decision Day on Oct. 19, which follows an international break, but he also isn鈥檛 keen on settling for a wild-card spot.
With Charlotte (12-11-9) five points ahead in the standings, he believes Montreal should be gunning for seventh.
鈥淭he mentality I'd like to go into Saturday's game with is the one where we're trying to go for the seventh place, where we're trying to go and win in Charlotte and make that possible,鈥� Sirois said.
Defender George Campbell doesn鈥檛 believe Montreal should change its approach now that they're the ones defending a playoff spot instead of chasing it.
"We can't get complacent and overconfident or cocky, but we have to know that we're a good team and we can compete with anyone,鈥� Campbell said.
Amid a roller-coaster season that featured a nine-game winless streak, Montreal is hitting its stride at the perfect moment, earning 12 out of a possible 15 points in its last five matches.
Sirois said players struggled to find consistency while learning the system of their first-year head coach, but now they鈥檙e running on all cylinders.
鈥淓ach player is doing what they need to do and performing very well individually, which makes us very strong together,鈥� he said.
It helps when one of those individuals is the team鈥檚 striker delivering on what he鈥檚 paid to do.
Josef Martinez, a league MVP in 2018, is turning back the clock of late with five goals in three outings, including both goals against Atlanta 鈥� his former club.
鈥淗e can do and execute stuff that nobody else can, and when he鈥檚 like this with the proper service, he鈥檚 unstoppable,鈥� Courtois said after Wednesday鈥檚 win. 鈥淗e鈥檚 one of the most exciting players I鈥檝e ever seen, it鈥檚 an honour for me to coach him.鈥�
After juggling his squad much of the season, Courtois has leaned on a nearly identical starting 11 the last three games.
That will likely have to change on Saturday with Montreal playing its third contest in eight days.
"The turnaround is short. There are players who are performing and have a lot of minutes, and there are also players who are fresh," he said. "We'll try to make the least risky decisions possible."
Montreal鈥檚 strong run of form started with a 2-1 home victory against a defensively stout Charlotte side on Sept. 14. Sirois expects a more 鈥渁ggressive鈥� match on the road at Bank of America Stadium.
鈥淭omorrow, Charlotte might have a bit more possession, wanting to attack us a bit more,鈥� he said. 鈥淎t the end of the day, there might be a bit more pressure on them because they know that if we win, we鈥檙e two points behind them.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2024.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
