NEW YORK – CF Montréal will travel to the Big Apple to visit New York City FC at Yankee Stadium this Saturday at 7:30pm EDT (MLS Season Pass, RDS, TSN, BPM Sports, TSN 690). The Club is set to play the second of a stretch of eight games in the month of May, in all competitions.
The Montrealers hold an overall record of 3-12-5 (15 goals for, 33 goals against) when playing NYCFC. On the road in New York, CF Montréal has a 1-7-3 record (8 goals for, 22 goals against).
In its first season under head coach Pascal Jansen, NYCFC sits 7th in the Eastern Conference with a 5-4-2 record. New York City registered two consecutive 1-0 wins against Toronto FC and FC Cincinnati. The club has not allowed a goal in 222 minutes of regular season play.
Last Wednesday, NYCFC was knocked out of the US Open Cup round of 32 against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL Championship. Reduced to 10 men in the 78th minute, NYCFC conceded late in stoppage time to suffer a 1-0 loss.
In 2024, the Bleu-blanc-noir lost 2-0 at Citi Field on July 3 before handing NYCFC a 2-0 defeat late in the season on October 19.
Samuel Piette’s next start will be his 175th in MLS, making him CF Montréal's first field player to reach the milestone. The Montreal captain is only two starts away from goalkeeper Evan Bush.
New York City FC is inspiring skepticism from those who forecast Major League Soccer’s winners and losers. How else can you explain the Pigeons’ conservative one-to-one odds against CF Montreal, a visitor who’s competing with this season's LA Galaxy for the mantle of "worst team in two countries"? New York City isn't touted as even a one-goal spread favorite for Saturday's kickoff on home grounds at 7:30 p.m. EST.
That's against a CF Montreal team that hasn't won in 90:00 since October. While any "minus odds" market to win is technically considered a compliment in soccer's tri-fold moneyline picks, the average favorite's odds fly in the face of NYC's nine points in the last four appearances.
Who was it that Montreal last defeated on that autumn day? Why, it was New York City FC, of course. Could the Pigeons' flawed head-to-head record against the Impact be behind Saturday's numbers?
Spread - New York City FC -0.75 (-105) - CF Montreal +0.75 (-115) Moneyline - New York City FC -135 - CF Montreal +360 - Draw +285 Total - Over 2.5 (-110) - Under 2.5 (-110)
*The above data was collected on May 9, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
New York City has won three of its last four league matches. Totals have gone under in all five of NYCFC's last five dates across competitions. Montreal has scored just three goals in its last 10 league matches. CF Montreal is winless in the 2025 MLS season.
Injury Reports: New York City FC - Midfielder Jacob Arroyave is out with a knee injury. Defender Mitja Ilenic is out with a leg injury. Forward Malachi Jones is out with a leg injury. Defender Kevin O'Toole is out with a leg injury. CF Montreal - Midfielder Bryce Duke is out with a lower-body injury. Midfielder Hennadii Synchuk is out with a lower-body injury.
It's a mistake to put historical facts over common sense when making predictions on the Pigeons and Impact this weekend. Montreal was simply a different team when the clubs had entertaining bouts last year. In fact, Montreal won more games last autumn than the Impact look poised to win in total in 2025.
NYCFC can't get the odds for a cupcake game after a lower-tier side eats the MLS club for dessert. NYC was upset by a U.S. Open Cup minnow on Wednesday when an undisciplined road effort left the Pigeons red-carded and down a man, setting up a 1-0 surprise by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
Matthew Mangam of Hudson River Blue says the Pigeons showed "hardly any signs of ambition" when on offense. Montreal's back line has been awful on the road, however. NYC is a safe pick to win on the moneyline, but look to parlay another Saturday mismatch … one with a less-dangerous spoiler than Pittsburgh.
New York City FC has an opportunity to put Wednesday's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in the rearview mirror with a home win over CF Montreal on Saturday. As poorly as City performed in its devastating 1-0 loss at the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, the team isn’t faring as bad as its visitors from the north.
Winless Montreal (0-8-3, 3 points) is in last place in the MLS Eastern Conference while the Cityzens (5-4-2, 17) are in seventh place. Translated: Montreal is there for the taking.
“It’s about bouncing back from a bad midweek performance,” NYCFC head coach Pascal Jansen said during a Friday afternoon Zoom call with the media. “We’ve shown our level on Sunday. Consistency is still our biggest challenge. Montreal may only have three points, but their ranking doesn’t reflect their quality. They’re aggressive and have only lost games by narrow margins—plus they’ve played eight road games, which is tough in MLS. They’ll be looking to get back on track, and we’re prepared for that.”
After Wednesday, we know we can’t give anything less than 100 percent.” In league play, the NYCFC is coming off a 1-0 home victory over FC Cincinnati at Citi Field. Saturday night’s 7:30 p.m. encounter at Yankee Stadium will give NYCFC an opportunity to move two games over .500, win its third consecutive contest and help solidify its position in the conference.
The team is 4-1-0 at home, while Montreal is winless (0-6-2) on the road. “Playing a lot of games in a short period of time gives you the opportunity to make amends with performances like on Wednesday,” Jansen said. “I agree the performance on Sunday was a good level from our standards. Wednesday was completely the opposite.”
“We should have done better. We wasted a huge opportunity to get into the next round for this cup. But that opportunity has passed. We’ve moved on — 24 hours have gone, and we’ve recovered physically and mentally.”
One of City’s strengths has been its defense, team and backline. Goalkeeper Matt Freese backstopped clean sheets in the last two games on a team that has conceded 13 goals in 11 matches.
“If we get our finishing right, it will take away the pressure on the defense as well,” Jansen said. “On the other hand, it keeps you on your toes, because you know you have to be there all the time in order to keep the chances of winning games to the max.”
“I would like to think that we are trying to get away from that spectrum and make sure that we control our games the way we do—clean defensively but also taking more advantage of the chances that we create up front.”
Center back Thiago Martins reminded the media that it is a team defense. “The guys in front help us a lot when we defend,” he said. “We are building on this. Every game we press better. The guys in front press a lot and that helps us in the back. When we defend, they defend, too. When we’re connected as a team, it makes our job easier. Of course, we defenders are working hard every day to help the team, but I can’t say it’s just us. Our team is more structured, and the guys up front help a lot when they press high.”
In news unrelated to the game, midfielder Aiden O’Neill has joined the team. The Australian, who played for Standard Liege in Belgium, signed a contract through the 2028 MLS season on April 25. “We’re lucky to have him,” Jansen said. “He trained with us yesterday and today. He’s an all-around midfielder who connects build-up phases, can play box-to-box, and contributes in the final third. He fits well with our midfield profiles and is part of the roster for tomorrow.”
