Just three games remain for CF Montréal's 2026 MLS campaign.

With the club now officially eliminated from the playoffs, and with the disappointment of the Canadian Championship final in the rearview mirror, the reasons for motivation are dwindling, but not completely zero.

A trip to face Charlotte FC in the Queen City is next up on the docket, a place the Impact have actually found a fair bit of success in during the previous four seasons of the Crown's existence.

In four prior meetings at Bank of America Stadium, Montréal hold a 2W-1D-1L record, with the most recent of those being a 4-1 win in September 2025 with a Dante Sealy brace.

Wednesday's meeting will be the second and final time these clubs face each other in 2026, with the reverse fixture ending as a 2-1 come-from-behind win for Charlotte at Stade Saputo back on September 9.

How Montréal enter the match

Saturday's loss against Nashville both clinched the Supporters' Shield for the 'Yotes as well as officially eliminated the bleu-blanc-noir from playoff contention, though both of those results had been a formality for a good while.

Now, playing spoiler and avoiding the wooden spoon for finishing bottom of MLS are the only things really left to play for, aside from contracts and maybe a bit of pride.

Montréal sit five points below Atlanta at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference, but still hold a three-point lead on Sporting KC in the wider league table.

It's now five winless in all competitions since that improbable win over Cincinnati back at the end of September, including some absolutely massive gut punches in the form of both the Canadian Classique and Canadian Championship defeats.

There isn't much of a silver lining in terms of not finishing last, but it's at least something. In a season as dark as this one, you take what you can get.

How Charlotte enter the match

A chance to clinch a playoff spot is on the line for the Crown as they hope to avoid a potential trap game against a bottom-feeding foe.

A win or draw officially punches their ticket to the postseason, as would either of Red Bull New York or Columbus failing to win their respective games.

Looking at that, it's pretty likely Charlotte will end Wednesday night with an X next to their name in the table, which would shift the focus to seeding more than anything.

A top-four spot in the conference would give Charlotte a home advantage in the best-of-three round one playoff series, and given the fact they've always been much better at home, it must be a pretty big priority for the team.

That job will be a bit more of a challenge now after a tough run of form in recent weeks, losing three and winning just one of their last five outings.

Hosting a lowly Montréal side might be just what the doctor ordered to get back in form heading into the playoffs.

Availability

For Montréal, Prince Owusu, Jalen Neal, Thomas Gillier, Bode Hidalgo and Brayan Ceballos are expected to remain out due to injury, while Brandan Craig will be absent due to personal reasons.

On the Charlotte side of things, Brandt Bronico, Tim Ream and Will Cleary are all questionable, while Nimfasha Berchimas, Archie Goodwin and Aron John should remain out with their respective ailments. Allan Saint-Maximin, who missed Saturday's trip to Portland, is expected to be available.

Former Everton and Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucouré could be set for his first minutes with the club after signing as a free agent recently, though anything more than 20 minutes off the bench would be a surprise.

Projected XIs

Montréal's lineups at this stage are very difficult to get right, but there's likely to be a fair number of changes from the weekend's side. On Charlotte's side, Saint-Maximin will take the place of Rodolfo Aloko from the start as they push for three points.

CF Montréal (4-3-3): Sébastian Breza; Luca Petrasso, Brayan Vera, Efrain Morales, Dawid Bugaj; Fabian Herbers, Victor Loturi, Matty Longstaff; Alexis Sánchez, Daniel Ríos, Dante Sealy

Charlotte FC (4-2-3-1): Kristijan Kahlina; David Schnegg, Henry Kessler, Morrison Agyemang, Nathan Byrne; Djibril Diani, Ashley Westwood; Allan Saint-Maximin, Pep Biel, Liel Abada; Idan Toklomati