CF Montreal had a great opportunity to distance themselves from the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference standings, but they failed to do so and lost 3-0 at Soldier Field on Wednesday night.
The duel, which should have taken place at 8:30 p.m., finally started at 9:45 p.m., due to a tornado warning hanging over the “City of Winds”.
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This situation affected Hernan Losada’s team visibly as they conceded twice in the first 11 minutes of the game.
The crowd favorite scored the first goal in the ninth minute of the game. Striker Brian Gutiérrez completed Georgios Koutsias’ maneuver to move the ropes for the first time this season.
Chicago quickly got back to work, doubling the score less than two minutes later. Maren Haile-Selassie spotted a loose ball in the penalty area and scored the third goal since the start of the season.
The Illinois State squad’s strong start continued late in the first half. Xherdan Shaqiri increased the gap by three goals thanks to a great shot into the net in the 33rd minute.
It was Kei Kamara’s first game against CF Montreal since the pre-season contract dispute with the team.
That clash marked the debut of striker Kwadwo Opoku, who joined the Montreal side from Los Angeles FC last week. The 21-year-old was used for 58 minutes by head coach Hernan Losada.
Because of this loss, Montreal now has a record of 8-12-2. The team sits 10th in the East, three points behind ninth-placed Fire.
Hernan Losada’s men just suffered their first setback against the Fire since 2019. Montreal had won their last four meetings against Chicago. CF Montreal have lost their last two games and their last win was on June 21st. Montreal defeated Nashville SC 1-0 at home.
The Impact will only benefit from a few rest days as it returns to action on Saturday. For the occasion, Charlotte FC will be at the Stade Saputo.
CF Montreal and their closest rivals drew 0-0 in their last meeting.