After a massive victory in the Canadian Championship on Wednesday, CF Montréal is back to regular-season MLS action as the Columbus Crew make the trip up to Stade Saputo.

While the playoff dream is mostly dead for both sides, who sit just two points apart in 13th and 15th, respectively, in the Eastern Conference, there's still pride and some stakes on the line as they try to stay out of the absolute basement.

Saturday's meeting will be the second and final between these two sides, following a 2-1 Montréal win in Columbus back in August thanks to a late Noah Streit banger.

How Montréal enter the match

It's probably not hyperbole to say Wednesday's win over the Whitecaps is the biggest one in years for the Impact.

Heading to a home CanChamp final as the presumptive favourites is not a spot this club has been in some time, and an opportunity to taste silverware for the first time since 2021 would certainly bring some light onto what's been a fairly dull season.

But they must focus on the matches ahead of them first, before October 21 around. 

It's an active four-game losing streak in MLS play for the bleu-blanc-noir, one that has seen them sink all the way to last in the East and just three points ahead of Sporting KC in the Wooden Spoon race.

Alexis Sánchez has not quite hit the ground running, with the Chilean legend still searching for his first goal involvement for the club. Meanwhile, Prince Owusu hasn't scored in the league since August, and the back line has struggled lately as well.

Wednesday's win may be what this team needs to kickstart, but if they keep faltering in MLS, there won't be much to hide behind.

How Columbus enter the match

In many ways, the Columbus Crew have had a season fairly similar to Montréal's. 

A disappointing and frankly poor start to the season saw their head coach, Henrik Rydström, let go, and while things have looked better in some ways under the new boss, the results still haven't come.

The "new boss" is former Impact manager Laurent Courtois, whose performances have improved in some ways, but the team is still dropping results left and right, leaving them 13th in the East and nine points out of a playoff spot.

However, like Montréal, a win in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal Wednesday would put the Crew in line to host a final next month.

The 2026 season may have always been viewed as a retooling year in Columbus, with beloved head coach Wilfried Nancy departing as the team began some turnover on the pitch. 

Rydström's dismissal accelerated that, and the club has also struggled with the retirement of captain Darlington Nagbe in midfield. Further turnover came in the summer, with the club selling key pieces such as Diego Rossi to Monterrey and Max Arfsten to Middlesbrough, as well as cutting ties with underwhelming DP Dániel Gazdag.

However, the club has made some solid signings to replace them. Brais Méndez has been influential as an attacking midfielder, as has former New York City man Santiago Rodríguez.

Morocco international Anass Zaroury was brought in to replace Arfsten, and former Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly was signed to try and fix the back line. However, he has not featured much and has not impressed in his minutes.

That said, the situation is similar for both clubs. It's a poor, lost season in the league, with a chance to salvage the year with some silverware in a home cup final.

Availability

Dani Pereira, Brayan Vera, Frankie Amaya and Bode Hidalgo should remain out for the hosts, as they haven't recovered from their injuries yet. Thomas Gillier has returned from Chile due to personal reasons, but is probably not ready to start yet.

For Columbus, star striker Wessam Abou Ali is out for the season with an ACL tear suffered in the spring, while Rudy Camacho and Sékou Bangoura should continue to miss out due to their injuries.

Projected XIs

TrueNorthFoot projects mostly unchanged lineups from both sides as the schedule lightens over the next month.

CF Montréal (4-4-2): Sébastian Breza; Luca Petrasso, Brandan Craig, Jalen Neal, Brayan Ceballos; Dante Sealy, Matty Longstaff, Victor Loturi, Wiki Carmona; Prince Owusu, Daniel Ríos

Columbus Crew (3-4-2-1): Patrick Schulte; Malte Amundsen, Sean Zawadski, Steven Moreira; Anass Zaroury, André Gomes, Taha Habroune, Brooks Lennon; Santiago Rodríguez, Brais Méndez; Josef Martínez

Game information and how to watch

📆 Saturday, September 19
⏰ 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT
📺 Apple TV / TSN / RDS
🧑‍⚖️ Fotis Bazakos
🏟 Stade Saputo, Montréal, Canada