The nightmare start to the 2026 MLS campaign continues for CF Montréal.

The Bleu-blanc-noir once again looked outmatched and completely lost in a 3-0 defeat to the Chicago Fire, despite being up a man for nearly the entire second half.

After dropping their opener 5-0 in San Diego last week, even a respectable, hard-working performance in matchday two would've probably been enough to be seen as progress.

Montréal looked not only outclassed, but without ideas and unable to create chances, even while up a man.

The Impact lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Thomas Gillier in goal, a back line of Aleksandr Guboglo, Jalen Neal, Efrain Morales and Brayan Vera on the left, a double pivot of Matty Longstaff and Victor Loturi, Hennadiy Synchuk on the right wing, Dagur Dan Þórhallsson on the left, Ivan Jaime in the number 10 position, and Prince Owusu up front.

The first half was all Chicago. The hosts started out on the front foot, pressing high with striker Hugo Cuypers, causing a lot of issues for Montreal's centre-backs.

The chances all came in favour of the Fire early on, with Gillier making a big save to deny Maren Haile-Selassie from an opener in the 20th minute.

But just seven minutes later, Chicago would find their breakthrough.

Right back Leonardo Barroso burst forward on a nice overlapping run and delivered a ball to the back post that flashed past Gillier's outstretched fingertips, allowing Jonathan Bamba to bundle it over the line.

That cross and finish >>> #cf97 pic.twitter.com/SsmhyxiO3b

— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) February 28, 2026

A couple more half-chances from the home side were kept out by Gillier, and Chicago's 1-0 lead held into the break.

Montreal would make a halftime sub, with Brandan Craig entering to replace Neal, who struggled under pressure in the first half, completing just 12 of 22 passes, with a couple of near-costly giveaways.

The second half began with the game seemingly turning on its head. Synchuk was played in behind by Owusu, and Jonathan Dean grabbed a handful of his jersey and hauled the Montréal attacker to the ground.

While referee Elijio Arreguin initially waved play on, a VAR review showed a clear foul from the Fire's left back, and a red card was issued for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

Goalscorer Bamba was sacrificed for an extra defender, with Canadian international Joel Waterman the man to come on and help shore up the defence.

Montreal would counter with some attacking substitutions of their own, with Noah Streit making his MLS debut in place of Vera, and Dawid Bugaj entering at right back for Guboglo.

But even down a man, it was the Fire who continued to control play. They sacrificed possession to become dangerous in transition, turning every Montréal turnover into a dangerous offensive chance, testing Gillier on numerous occasions, including multiple stops off of corners. 

Daniel Ríos and Wiki Carmona would come on to try and find a goal, but the visitors just could not create anything offensively.

Meanwhile, Chicago's pressure mounted against an increasingly scrambled Montréal back line. After giving the ball away from their own throw in in stoppage time, Gillier fouled Cuypers in the box, who stepped up and converted the spot kick, essentially putting the game away.

Cool from the spot 🫡 #cf97 pic.twitter.com/uGiR0E6oYC

— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) February 28, 2026

But even then, the Fire weren't done. More calamitous defending saw Barroso play Cuypers in out wide, and while his deflected cross went off the underside of the crossbar, substitute Robin Lod was there to tap home the rebound into the open goal.

We're starting to like all these extra minutes :) pic.twitter.com/WaDbYlSIc7

— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) February 28, 2026

The match finished 3-0 to the hosts, and the second-half numbers make for grim reading.

Despite playing with a man advantage for the final 34 minutes plus 12 minutes of stoppage time, Montréal managed just three shots in the second half — all from well outside the box — and failed to seriously test Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady at any point.

Meanwhile, Chicago created 11 shots – seven of which were on target – for 1.73 xG, all while down a man. If it weren't for some wonderful stops from Gillier, the final score would've looked even worse.

Gregg Berhalter's men simply had more ability, were set up better to win, and were the rightful victors on the night.

It raises the question of "what's the point" for CF Montréal. This is a team that looks a long, long way from even competing for a wild card spot, and ownership continues to not spend on a roster that has been devoid of any sort of quality for years now.

Montréal will head to New Jersey next week for what looks like another tough test, taking on a Red Bulls side that's been one of the top teams in MLS in the early going, with two wins from their first two games.