CF Montreal vs Columbus Crew

CF Montreal face Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer on Saturday, 19 September 2026 at Stade Saputo, where both clubs seek relief from poor late-season form.

Montreal have lost four straight matches

CF Montreal sit bottom of the Eastern Conference in 15th place with 21 points from 25 games. Their recent run shows four consecutive league defeats: 0-1 away at Colorado Rapids on 13 September, 1-2 at home to Charlotte on 9 September, 0-2 at Philadelphia Union on 5 September, and 1-7 at Inter Miami on 29 August. Across those four matches, Montreal scored twice while conceding 12 times.

Defensive concessions remain the core problem for the hosts, who have allowed 51 goals across 25 fixtures with a minus-20 goal difference. Over their last five matches with chance data, Montreal gave up 2.14 expected goals per game while generating 1.19. Primary scoring output rests on Prince-Osei Owusu, who leads Montreal with 13 goals in all competitions this season.

Columbus have won once in twelve away games

Columbus Crew occupy 13th place in the Eastern Conference with 23 points from 25 matches. Their away record has produced just one win, three draws, and eight defeats in 12 road fixtures, conceding 27 goals away from home.

The visitors enter having dropped four of their last five league games, including a 0-1 home defeat to New York Red Bulls on 12 September and a 1-2 loss away at DC United on 9 September. Diego Rossi is their top scorer this season with six goals across all competitions. Columbus also fell 1-2 at home to Montreal when the sides met on 19 August 2026.

Camacho and Vera headline four absences per squad

Both squads carry several fitness concerns into Saturday. CF Montreal will be without B. Vera and D. Pereira due to injury, while B. Hidalgo and F. Amaya are listed as doubtful.

Columbus Crew travel without R. Camacho, S. Bangoura, and W. Abou Ali, who are all ruled out through injury. Wing-back M. Farsi remains doubtful, further reducing options across the visitors' backline.

Our model leans narrowly towards a CF Montreal win

Our forecasting model leans narrowly towards a CF Montreal win. The projection reflects Columbus Crew's struggles on the road, where they have lost eight of 12 league matches, alongside Montreal's 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture in August. However, Montreal's concession rate of 2.14 expected goals per game over their past five outings ensures little room for error.