MONTREAL – After playing five straight games on the road, FC Montreal is back home to face rivals Toronto FC II on Wednesday at 12:30pm, on the synthetic field at Stade Saputo.
Montreal earned an impressive 10 points on the road over its last five away games (3-1-1), including a 3-1 win last Saturday against Saint Louis FC in which Jacques Haman, Fabio Morelli and Yacine Ait Slimane found the back of the net.
The two Canadian sides traded wins in the other two meetings this season. TFCII won the first game 2-0 on March 28 at Olympic Stadium before FC Montreal took home the 1-0 shutout on July 21 in Toronto on a goal by Zakaria Messoudi.
“We have the opportunity to prove that our performance from three weeks ago in Toronto was not simply luck,” said head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “It adds to the motivation as we play a Canadian rival. Adding to the importance is that the Impact hosts Vancouver in the Canadian Championship that night. It’s a good day for Canadian soccer.”
“After a long trip, it’s good to be back home,” said midfielder Zakaria Messoudi. “We have found some rhythm and we want to continue this way, especially against a rival.”
Wednesday’s game also represents a fourth match over a 12-day span for Philippe Eullaffroy’s squad. With that many games, the roster depth and rotation is a major factor.
“We have a group with over 20 quality players instead of only 11,” added Eullaffroy. “Players bring something on the field whether they start or come off the bench.”
Toronto is 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 4-11-3 record. The Ontario team announced last week the signing of midfielder Bubacarr Jobe, who played previously in the PDL with the Austin Aztex, scoring seven goals.
FC Montreal plays its next game on Saturday, August 22, at 7pm, against the Wilmington Hammerheads FC at Legion Stadium.
