Montreal begins title defense in Halifax
Our title defense begins now.
Time to hit pause on the MLS, at least for one night, to make place for the 2021 Canadian Championship. CF Montréal’s journey in the national tournament begins Wednesday night at 5pm, as we get set to take on the HFX Wanderers FC at Wanderers Grounds in the quarterfinal round.
The winner will advance to the semi-finals to take on Forge FC, already qualified.
“We are very aware of the fact that this is a Cup game. In the entire world, these games are different because there are always surprises,” said head coach Wilfried Nancy. “My staff and I are focused on the best way to approach this game. It’s an important competitor for us and we want to do well, because there’s a trophy on the other end, and a spot in the Champions League on the line.”
With no champion being announced in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilfried Nancy’s men enter the tournament at the quarterfinal stage as the defending champions, after defeating Toronto FC back in 2019 in the final.
Montreal will have the benefit of entering the tournament in great form. The Club is unbeaten in six of its last seven games, stringing together two impressive consecutive wins in the last seven days, against Orlando on the road and against Chicago at home.
“We continue to put in place what we’ve been doing since the start of the year,” added Nancy. “I am very clear in the way I see things and I try to bring this clarity to my staff and my players. This clarity helps during the difficult periods. We focus on what we need to do well without worrying too much about who the opponent is. We focus on ourselves, and I am very satisfied for the moment.”
Montreal will then briefly return home for a day before travelling to Ohio to take on the Columbus Crew SC on Saturday, September 25, at 7:30pm, in its return to MLS action.
