CF Montréal picked up their first win of the season in front of their fans in a dramatic finish. Here are some numbers:
3 lineup changes
Following CF Montréal’s defeat in Nashville, fans saw three changes to the starting lineup against Philadelphia. Notably, Herrera, Rea, and Ibrahim replaced by Zouhir, Saliba, and Toye. These changes saw Rida Zouhir and Mason Toye both get their first start of the season.
Many expected to see Kamal Miller out with a rumored injury, however he remained in the starting lineup. His withdrawal in the 80th minute left some wondering if he played with an injury. Canada Soccer announced he will miss the Concacaf Nations League matches in March due to injury, confirming what many thought.
23,352 attendance
Stade Saputo saw seven sold out crowds in 2022. Continuing off a strong season, the 2023 season home opener saw 23,352 fans at the Olympic Stadium. The Big O saw an additional 10,000 fans compared to last year’s home opener of 13,067, also against Philadelphia.
3 goals, 3 points
An early goal from Quioto opened the scoring and late goals from Offor and Quioto again gave CF Montréal the win and all three points. Their first win of the 2023 season comes in the home opener at the Big O.
5 saves
It was clear that Jonathan Sirois kept his team in the game. Sirois made some big saves at the very end of the first half to retain the team’s 1-0 lead into the break. Despite letting two past him in the in the the second half, he made some great saves throughout the game. Some fans are starting to ask if he’s the new number one goalkeeper.
15 shots, 4 on target
CF Montréal managed to produce only four shots on target from a total 15. Of the remaining 11, six were off target and five blocked. In comparison, Philadelphia managed seven shots on target, from a total 11 shots.
3 chances created by Mathieu Choinière
While Sirois kept his team in the game, Mathieu Choinière created the chances at the other end of the field. His first came in the early minutes of the game earning his team a penalty after his shot hit the hand of Philadelphia Union defender Jakob Glesnes. Quioto converted from the spot. His second was a header that hit the woodwork, but was shortly after put in by Offor. Lastly, his third and most important was a cross into the box that Quioto headed into the back of the net, earning his team all 3 points very late in stoppage time.
0 minutes
Joaquín Torres remained on the bench and did not get the chance to face his former employer.
CF Montréal head to Vancouver after the March international break to face the Whitecaps on April 1st.
