Columbus Crew welcome CF Montreal to Lower.com Field with both sides missing key regulars through injury and rotation. The hosts are dealing with four first-team regulars out, but Montreal’s five absentees and their dreadful away record — seven losses in nine — tilts the…
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Sign inThe Columbus Crew host CF Montreal in a crucial Eastern Conference regular-season fixture on Tuesday, August 19, 2026. With both sides languishing below the playoff line in a tightly congested table, the match carries significant weight for their postseason ambitions, heightened by the reunion of several key figures from Montreal’s recent past now wearing the Black and Gold.
Columbus are without striker Wessam Abou Ali (knee) and utility players Sekou Bangoura (ankle) and Jamal Thiare (lower leg). The offseason signing of former MLS MVP Josef Martínez directly addressed the void left by Abou Ali’s season-ending ACL injury; Martínez is expected to lead the line under interim head coach Laurent Courtois, who was his manager in Montreal during 2024. Montreal have their own absence concerns, with midfielders Frankie Amaya and Wiki Carmona both ruled out through lower-body issues.
The Crew sit 11th in the Eastern Conference with 20 points from 18 matches, sitting just beneath the playoff cutoff. Recent form reads D-W-L-W-D, including a 2-2 home draw with Inter Miami and a 2-1 win over FC Cincinnati. The summer transfer activity has been aggressive: alongside Martínez, the club added midfielder Brais Méndez, defender Eric Bailly, and forward Gonzalo Tapia. Martínez’s arrival is the headline, pairing his proven MLS goal-scoring pedigree with Courtois’ tactical setup in a must-win home game.
Montreal enter the match 14th in the East on 16 points (4 wins, 4 draws, 10 losses), having scored 24 goals and conceded 35. Their last five league outings show a D-L-L-D-D pattern, with a recent 1-0 home loss to Inter Miami and a high-scoring 6-4 defeat at Philadelphia Union. The Canadian side has struggled to maintain leads, a vulnerability that Columbus’ retooled attack will be determined to exploit early.
Josef Martínez’s return to face Montreal adds a compelling narrative layer. Courtois managed the Venezuelan striker during a productive 2024 season with the Quebecois club, and this matchup marks their first meeting as adversaries. How Montreal’s backline handles Martínez’s movement—and how Courtois schemes to unlock his former team’s defense—will likely decide whether Columbus can climb above the playoff line at this critical stage of the regular season.
A win for the Crew could lift them into a top-nine position, depending on other results, while Montreal need points urgently to avoid being cut adrift in the playoff race. Following this fixture, Columbus remain at home for their next match, while Montreal return to Quebec to prepare for their next Eastern Conference opponent.
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