After a pretty lifeless 0-0 draw against Toronto in last week's Canadian Classique, the level of difficulty ramps up dramatically for CF Montréal against the Supporters' Shield leaders in Nashville.

While things have gone quite well since the change at the managerial helm in Montréal, there's no doubt Wednesday's fixture will mark the biggest test in the Philippe Eullaffroy era, and any result on the road would be seen as a huge positive for this group.

Last season's results between these two Eastern Conference foes saw a 1-1 draw at Stade Saputo after a late Sam Surridge equalizer, while Nashville took a convincing 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture.

How Montréal enter the match

While the Classique wasn't the most inspiring return to MLS action, with a sloppy game between two pretty rusty teams making for a dull affair without much offence on either side, it's fair to say the Impact had the better of the chances in that match.

The team's record in MLS play under Eullaffroy now sits at 3W-3D-2L, which is respectable, and three wins from three in the Canadian Championship looks pretty good as well.

But, if Montréal is to get into the postseason this year, runs in league play like the current four-game winless run will need to be ironed out, even if three of those results are draws.

Now, a draw away at GEODIS Park would likely be welcomed, but after Wednesday comes three home games all against Eastern Conference playoff teams. The bleu-blanc-noir will look at that homestand as a prime opportunity to put together a few victories to climb up into the top nine spots in the conference.

One man whose play might help get them there is Hennaddiy Synchuk, the young Ukrainian who has taken some steps in his game under the new boss and could become the key second or third man to the attack that helps unlock a new level of consistent secondary scoring Montréal has lacked behind Prince Owusu this campaign.

Synchuk was the brightest spot against Toronto, and he's performed very well in his starts under Eullaffroy. The underlying data suggests he's due for more than his lone goal in his 450 minutes this season, with the winger's 0.55 xG per 90 minutes in the 95th percentile group among players in his position.

Some better finishing and perhaps a bit more luck around goal could see the Ukraine international explode in the back half of the year, and be the missing piece needed to unlock the Impact attack.

How Nashville enter the match

So far, season seven has been by far the most successful in club history, as Nashville sit atop the Supporters' Shield table, made a run to the semifinal of the Concacaf Champions Cup, and host one of the most talented and deep rosters in MLS.

Under manager BJ Callaghan, this is a team that really functions well across all areas of the pitch.

In the attack, the already-deadly duo of Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar was given a dangerous playmaker off the right wing in Cristian Espinoza, who's given a fantastic third heat to an attack that has scored the fourth-most goals in the league.

Two of Edvard Tagseth, Matthew Corcoran and the currently-injured Patrick Yazbek form a very strong pivot in the middle of the park, which runs as the engine of this team.

In defence, full-backs Andy Nájar and Daniel Lovitz are outstanding going both ways, while centre-backs Jeisson Palacios and Maxwell Woledzi have formed an elite duo at the back. 

In goal, Brian Schwake has become one of the top goalkeepers in MLS in just his first season as a starter.

Every piece of this team is strong, and there are essentially no weak links across the board. There's a reason they sit at an 11-3-1 record in league play, even with a handful of injuries throughout the season.

Like Montréal, Nashville also faced a rival in their first game back from the World Cup break, with a 79th-minute Shak Mohammed header enough to grind out a 1-0 victory over Atlanta United.

Availability

For the Impact, Wiki Carmona and Bode Hidalgo's injuries from before the break should see them remaining out for this one. 

Meanwhile, Nashville is nursing a handful of injuries coming out of the break. Yazbek will be out for some time with an injury that forced him to miss Australia's World Cup, while Espinoza, Reed Baker-Whiting and Warren Madrigal all missed the Atlanta game after being listed as questionable.

Projected XIs

TrueNorthFoot projects just one change to the Montréal lineup, though it's a big one with Owusu returning from a yellow card accumulation suspension.

For Nashville, Palacios and Nájar entered as subs last week against Atlanta, but return to the starting lineup for this one.

Nashville SC (4-4-2): Brian Schwake; Daniel Lovitz, Maxwell Woledzi, Jeisson Palacios, Andy Nájar; Ahmed Qasem, Edvard Tagseth, Matthew Corcoran, Shak Mohammed; Sam Surridge, Hany Mukhtar

CF Montréal (4-3-3): Thomas Gillier; Luca Petrasso, Brayan Vera, Jalen Neal, Dawid Bugaj; Victor Loturi, Samuel Piette, Matty Longstaff; Noah Streit, Prince Owusu, Hennadiy Synchuk

Game information and how to watch

📆 Wednesday, July 22, 2026
⏰ 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT
📺 Apple TV
🧑‍⚖️ Marcos DeOliveira
🏟 GEODIS Park, Nashville, United States