July 16, 2025
The 2025 campaign feels over. There doesn’t seem like there is much to fight for except to save pride. This is exactly what Le Blue-Blanc-Noir showed Wednesday at Subaru Park, a game that was physical and tightly contested on both ends of the field but ultimately the team with the will to play until the final whistle came out victorious. As Marco Donadel put it in the post-game press conference, “we need to take the positive and look forward accepting that we have a problem. Every time we play our game until the 60th or 70th minute and then we drop.” The Union played like a team that understood how to react to moments. They never go too high or too low, instead they played to see what mistakes Montreal could make and jumped at the opportunity. CF Montreal is playing every game like it’s a playoff game even if they’re last place in MLS and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, when you approach every game like a playoff game, it means you can’t afford to make any mistakes. Every shot, every pass, every tackle, every clearance needs to be perfect which means that you are playing with added pressure to not make a mistake. This is not the ideal mentality to have in must-win games like last night because it just doesn’t last. Mentally, players will start losing concentration as the game goes on or might make mistakes on simple things like Joel Waterman and Brandan Craig’s clearance. It wasn’t all negative, the past few games we’ve seen a team that continues fighting until the last minute and never backs down from any challenges. If Montreal’s role now becomes to ruin other team’s chances at making the playoffs then they’ll need to be better game after game. There’s not other way to put it, from here until the end of the 2025 campaign this team will be using these games as a preseason for 2026. So, for your mental health, enjoy the ride!!
Attack
Up front, CF Montreal deployed Hennadii Synchuk alongside Prince Owusu on top with Fabian Herbers and Dante Sealy playing on the flanks. It was an interesting combination to say the least as we see Herbers, who’s coming back from a lengthy injury, quickly trying to find a connection with hot Owusu. This connection could have developed into something lethal had Herbers been able to stay healthy but instead these games will leave us with a lot of what-ifs as the season quickly comes to it’s end. Herber’s impact in the game is undeniable and it was much more obvious once he was subbed out at halftime by Tom Pearce. He clearly understands his role and shows his MLS experience with his fearlessness of the physical aspect of the MLS. Herbers did the necessary runs to transition the team into the offensive end and had some important tackles to stop Philadelphia’s counterattack which is something we had been missing from Caden Clark and Bryce Duke’s game. Herbers could be an important veteran in the midfield for CF Montreal moving forward, he has the experience and work rate that this needs from their midfielders now that Nathan Saliba is gone.
Let me point out the obvious, after George Campbell gets transferred out, Prince Owusu is CF Montreal’s top player in all aspects of the game. He has an engine that goes the full 90 minutes even in a short week and it was evident in the past two games. Against Orlando City, he picked up a penalty late in the game through sheer hustle and will when some other players in the squad may have checked out. He did it again Wednesday night towards the end of the first half when many players from both sides may have been looking to head to the tunnel on a hot summer night. Owusu isn’t perfect, he has some infuriating moments where he’ll hold the game back during transitions but he never drops his level of intensity. He’s a veteran in this team and a lot of the younger players should look after his work ethic to see what it takes to perform at your best even when the rest of the team is under performing. Owusu is performing at an MVP level this season and should have received an invitation to the MLS All Star game. There was a particular play in the second half when the team was transitioning to offense and he had a streaking Synchuk on the right side that seemed like the obvious choice because if the pass got through, Synchuk would have had a 1 v 1 vs Andre Blake. But if you look closely at the replay you can see the Union’s defenders had positioned themselves to stop that pass. Owusu read this and instead kept the ball while the defender pulled away and Owusu found himself 1 v 1 against Blake. What ensued was a terrible finish by Owusu, but what impressed me most was his intelligence and reading of the game to make a quick decision even if it frustrated Synchuk. Last time we saw a striker read a game the defenders that well? 2024 with Josef Martinez who would endlessly use his position as a dummy to defenders to give others chances at a goal. Owusu is no Martinez, but he has brought that kind of impact to the club this season and he’s heating up at the right time.
Speaking of Synchuk, two games in a row that he starts and gives the team around 60 minutes. In both outings he’s shown the bravery to run forward and give CF Montreal a weapon on the right side, something that was given to Sealy for the majority of the season but more on that later. Synchuk was deployed as a second striker alongside Owusu but would frequently drift to the right side frequently acting as a right winger and giving him more attacking responsibilities and removing Sealy’s involvement in the game much more. It wasn’t Synchuk’s best performance but, once again, when we talk about projects for this club, this kid shows a lot of raw and promising talent if he can stay healthy in this very physical league. Teams are clearly targeting him and defenders are being fearless in welcoming him to the league (including a stare down by DJ Jacques after a collision between the two) but Synchuk hasn’t backed down and continues picking up the fouls and getting back up. There is clearly work to be done with the 1 v 1’s and his pass and shot selection in the final third, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that he does a very good job leading the transition up field for the team right now. He had the Union’s defenders running in circles at times when he cut inside the box but it’s that last decision that needs to work. Personally, I’m excited to watch his game develop with the new reinforcements the team will bring in this upcoming transfer window.
Let’s talk about Dante Sealy. At this point, Sealy has started (!!) 17 of 19 games and played 1540 minutes this season and score 2 goals and 1 assist which are honestly not very impressive stats for the 22-year-old that joined the team as a trialist. His last goal being against Inter Miami FC on May 28th but since has scored 3 goal for his country but has failed to transition that momentum to his club. I think a lot of fans and staff might be starting to get frustrated with his lack of contribution to the game. On Wednesday, one of the most evident moments was late in the game when he was streaking down the field in transition and had a wide open Owusu on his left side that was in prime position to score his brace and Sealy did do the pass but it never got to his target. Why? Sealy decided to take an extra second to position his body to us his left foot instead of using his weaker foot and placed it way behind Owusu, which of course he tried to score a miracle goal while sitting on the ground which he missed and the turned to Sealy and was clearly livid at the bad pass. This is another glaring example at how Sealy’s game is a box full of surprises. Some people might view that as a good thing because who doesn’t love a surprise? Right? Except when it comes at the cost of missing opportunities in crunch time. Sealy is clearly talented on the wing with his speed and physicality but his game in the final third seems so chaotic to understand that it almost seems like he’s forcing chances instead of reading the game and choosing the best option. The clock on him might be running out and he might himself riding the bench with Synchuk’s development and reinforcements that Donadel’s been begging the sporting direction.
Fabian Herbers was deployed as a left midfielder against the Union and once again showed how he can impact a game with style of play. Herbers is the kind of player that will do the basics of soccer correctly. He is a player with a strong fundamental game that won’t necessarily be a superstar in a squad but will work himself to the bone. This might be why he was a fan favorite with the Chicago Fire, his game won’t be flashy or make it to highlight reels but he brings a stable presence on the left side or midfield that is needed in teams. He takes his time with the ball to set up the play and had some very nice 1-2 with Victor Loturi as they moved the ball up field. In a season that is all but over, it will be very interesting what Herbers can bring to the game once fully fit and gets up to game speed with Luca Petrasso and the rest of the squad. I find that both Petrasso and Herbers have similar game styles on the left side, two players that will focus on the basics of the game and do everything they can to help their teammates including taking their chances on goal when they see it, as Herbers did Wednesday night. Goal scoring clearly isn’t something he’s comfortable doing nor does he prioritize, which I don’t see as a bad thing because you have other player’s on the pitch who clearly prioritize that.
The substitutes on Wednesday night were Tom Pearce who gave us 45 minutes, Caden Clark, Bryce Duke, and Olger Escobar
I could really delve deep into what Pearce brough to the game but the reality is that it’s a copy-paste from his past performances. Some great crosses that had chances but didn’t ultimately connect and his defense was atrocious. Pearce is not the kind of player you want to have helping out defensively when your team is pushing up because he abandons his defensive duties too easily and leaves the young centerbacks in bad positions. His crossing ability is ELITE, it must be said. But the rest of his game is infuriating! He loses a majority of his duels, whether in the ground or in the air and doesn’t really have that surprise element that you would want out of a winger. He’s not the fastest or strongest but has great crossing ability. There is way too big of a gap between his defensive game and offensive game which is simply unacceptable at this level of soccer especially for a 27-year-old that spent a major part of his youth playing against better opponents than in the MLS. Is the MLS really the right league for him? What is the best position for Pearce in Donadel’s scheme? Is he a rotational player? His situation will be one to closely monitor these next few months (reminder that his benching at the beginning of the season by Laurent Courtois was mentioned by Samuel Piette as one of the reason for Courtois ultimate firing).
I want to say copy-paste with Caden Clark but I won’t because that’s lazy writing and I love writing my thoughts. Clark is very talented player with a lot of potential. He’s very fast and has a very powerful shot and his speed and agility allow him to easily beat MLS defenders but I believe that confidence plays a big part in which Clark we see. The Caden Clark we’ve seen the past two games is not the same Clark we saw two weeks ago and also not the same as we saw two months ago. There is moment when you can see flashes of what brought him to play in the highest stage and why he’s always been considered an American propect with untapped talent. Bu that’s the problem. It’s only flashes. With Clark it’s more of what he does off-ball then on-ball, hes a player that likes push other opponent’s buttons throughout the game and is fiery on challenges which have caused him to commit some very questionable fouls that have put CF Montreal in some dangerous positions. On offense he seems to be doubting himself but also doubting his teammates and will spend most of the game chasing the ball. Against Orlando we saw Clark get stuck with the ball too often and lose the ball and was clearly getting discourage and frustrated as the game went on and eventually was subbed out at halftime. Like I said, I don’t think this is a talent issue, I believe this is a confidence issue. He hasn’t been called back to the national team since January after Mauricio Pochettino told him that he really liked his game and was going to call him back and his production has clearly fallen even if hes managed to stay healthy all season. He’s started 14 of the 22 games he’s played in 1259 minutes and has 0 goals and 2 assists to show for it. I don’t think this is the best scheme for Clark and he is constantly playing out of position which doesn’t allow him to show his best game. Is the Caden Clark experiment done in Montreal? I think it might be for the benefit of both the player and club. Clark had been promised a new contract during the offseason by CF Montreal but they backed off and the situation has only deteriorated since. He came in as a sub for Synchuk and played 31 minutes where he was relegated to a more midfield and defensive role and little to no impact on the offense.
Midfield
There’s not much to say here beside that Philadelphia utterly dominated Montreal in the midfield. The Union made it a point to use their height as an advantage by playing more in the air to take advantage of the shorter Montreal midfielders. These would have been the kind of games you would have liked to see Victor Wanyama’s physicality and height be used to win those battles. Samuel Piette is a ground and pound player that will go toe to toe with any player but his issue starts when the ball starts being played around him instead of through him. I believe that Montreal is lucky to be able to be getting more than 45 minutes of Piette right now because of his health issues that seem to bring side effects that are apparently unpredictable. You can’t help but start to wonder how much longer Piette can continue playing at this level and lost seasons like these are starting to make him rethink if he wants to finish off his career with Montreal. Wednesday night proved yet another challenge for the defensive midfielder who was asked to overexert himself against a very potent Philadelphia attack and a young Montreal defense. He was a non-factor against Philadelphia but contributed defensively and clearing the ball a few times. These are the kinds of games that CF Montreal needs a replacement for Sam to give him the necessary rest and be able to recover. There is no one that can do the role in this squad for 90 minutes and have the same kind of impact and bring stability to the midfield. The club never replaced Victor Wanyama’s departure and it’s moments like these that you start questioning the recruitment that was done in the offseason.
Victor Loturi had a very interesting game because he was very good on one end and not very good in the other. I really liked what I saw him when building up the offense during the transition in the past two games. There were several instances where he would take on several opponents and make the right pass to keep possession but there were infuriating moments in defense when the Union players would run right through Loturi and get chances. I saw the same thing against Orlando where he would get beat 1 v 1 and struggled to get back on defense on a timely manner which could be his downfall as a midfielder. The first goal given up by CF Montreal could easily be blamed on Joel Waterman not clearing the ball, but truth be told, if you go back a few seconds you see the Union midfielder cut right through the midfield completely unmarked by Loturi whose two steps is behind in reacting. It’s the small details for Loturi that are making me question whether he’s a rotational player in MLS or a starter. I still think he’s a very important part of Donadel’s scheme and provides the connection to the attackers that is necessary in the buildup to the attack but it’s his defensive work that frequently puts Montreal in a precarious position. At 24 years old, there are certain things you would expect the CPL product to do, yet he still seems to struggle with.
Bryce Duke came in as a midfielder and showed some impressive ability to spread the ball out and stretch the field, but the issue I have with Duke comes after the first touch. I think Duke has a lethal first touch, but when he’s forced to stay with the ball and take that extra few seconds to make a decision, is where he really struggles. There are times where he’ll be slow to the reaction and make the decisive pass one second too slow when the CF Montreal player is offsides or the defender read the pass. Similar to Pearce, you have to start questioning what he brings to the game beside those great one touches that give the team chances. He’ll frequently get frustrated at his teammates and stop playing to talk to his colleagues while the opponents are in transition. The game needs to move faster for Duke in order for him to have any chance of staying in MLS.
Defense & Goalkeeping
On the defensive end there was Luca Petrasso as the left back, Brandan Craig and Joel Waterman as center backs, and Dawid Bugaj as a right back. Defensively, Montreal looked vulnerable at times with Philadelphia clearly understanding that these are youngsters that could easily be tricked by the diagonal movement of the ball that the Union deployed frequently on Wednesday night. This was a homecoming for Craig who spent his time before coming to Montreal in Philadelphia and clearly knew his way around. Speaking of Craig, he has tremendous shoes to fill now that George Campbell has been transferred to West Brom in the UK and the next few months will be critical for his development. Based on what I’ve seen from him in practice and games, he’s a player that plays with a lot of energy and passion but he is clearly still very young and will make mental mistakes that will make the fans hold their breath. Many people might forget that this is exactly the kind of play we saw from Campbell in his early days with Montreal and it took him a few seasons to really understand the kind of defender he is and how to use his skills and natural physical talents to his advantage. Craig is not afraid to call out his teammates and is very vocal about what he sees. The only thing that got me worried about him was how hard he was on himself whenever he made mistake and his body language afterwards. You’re going to say, well that’s normal Andy, who doesn’t get mad at their mistakes right? That’s not what worries me. What worries me is that there’s no one there to talk to him through these frustrations and guide him through some rough stretches in games or practice. This is a very important part of a young player’s development and shows the lack of veteran presence in the backline. A veteran would read these moments and would know how to react to make sure you don’t lose the player mentally. Craig had a very interesting match against his former employer with a clear presence on defense with 5 clearances and 4 of 7 in duels. He’s clearly developing quickly and the experience hes gaining in every game is speeding up his development, but I still think he needs a proven veteran to play alongside to give him that comfort to experiment and learn his game better.
Joel Waterman had a very Joel Waterman performance, some solid moments but some very frustrating moments as well. It’s easy to point at him for the first goal but the reality was that it was a combination of things that went wrong and he reacted poorly to where he was, something that we’ve come to see too often from him. Waterman is clearly a vocal leader that keeps the line in check but it’s his own performance that has been head scratching at times. This season has also seen him play several different positions throughout the game, sometimes being deployed as a pure centerback, defensive midfielder, and most recently right back. You have to wonder where he is most comfortable and if at his age he should be getting played so many different positions and is he really the best centerback CF Montreal have in the starting 11? Waterman also had the very important assist in Montreal’s only score in a fantastic cross to Owusu. This is one of Waterman’s biggest assets that we haven’t seen him use enough of this season for different reasons which haven’t necessarily been in his control.
Fernando Alavarez might be one of those players that Marco Donadel refers to when he says, “we want players that want to be here”. Alvarez has been relegated to a super sub that is only put in the game when the defenders are starting to get tired or CF Montreal is looking to park the bus. The Fernando Alvarez situation is very weird because he went from having a string of fantastic performances last year that had scouts looking at him, to being relegated to the bench and his few appearances being highlighted by poor decisions that gave opponents easy opportunities at goals (and yes, its been the same thing at practice). He said he’s started the season with a back injury and you have to wonder if that’s still holding him back to this day. I think this is another player that needs a change of scenery for the good of themselves and the club, but that position may be running thin right now.
Dawid Bugaj has been a fantastic discovery this season after the change to a back four. His defensive game has been solid and constant and his offense has only improved with the presence of Synchuk on his side (Yes, Synchuk takes on more defensive duties than Sealy) . I wouldn’t call him a lockdown defender yet because there are still times where he seems to lose track of his defender behind him like we saw in the 2nd Philadelphia goal, even though I don’t think that was his fault entirely since Sealy was slow in getting back and didn’t do anything to help or advise Dawid. There is one bone I have to pick with Bugaj though, I counted 4 turnovers on throw-ins on his side which might not seem like the biggest crime but truth be told this is still a loss of a possession. It becomes even more important when CF Montreal clearly is prioritizing that side of the field so he’s getting a lot of chances to do these throw-ins. I saw two of his throw-ins go directly to a Philadelphia player while Montreal was high up the pitch. Philadelphia was clearly the better team Wednesday night so these opportunities to have possession were far and few between, so taking advantage of those chances was an understatement. Bugaj is another player that is playing a lot of minutes this season but doesn’t have a pure left back to replace or compete against him in this squad which makes his workload that much more important. Aleksandr Guboglo has clearly said he prefers to be an attacker and has spent the majority of his youth as a wingback with more focus on attacking. Against the Union, Bugaj struggled mightily having 17 turnovers and going 1 out of 6 long balls but he’s still very important offensively, especially when he goes in midfield and drives the ball downfield. I think Bugaj could use a few games of rest.
Luca Petrasso has become a key player since joining the team. Aa matter of fact he’s the player with the most amount of minutes played in the squad so far this season, right ahead of Owusu which goes to show how much the staff values him as a player. But, once again, who’s going to replace Petrasso if he’s not in the lineup? Pearce? No thanks. I’m not going to delve into that subject again but he has little to no defensive awareness and becomes more of a liability than an asset as a left back. So, once again who takes Petrasso’s spot? Hence why the workload of Petrasso and Bugaj during this heavy string of games has to be closely monitored to not risk any long-term injuries. Petrasso had a very Petrasso game with even distribution on both ends of the field. Like I mentioned before, he wont be your superstar but he will do the dirty work to get the ball up field and help the defense. Petrasso has struggled mightily against tougher wingers (Bernadeschi, Messi, Freeman, etc..) that have left him in the dust in 1 v 1 which goes to show that even though he has a great middle game where he can “help” both ends, he won’t necessarily master either of them. He doesn’t play like a pure left back with a preference to run a long the left flank and help the attack but he can lack defensive awareness at times. This is in no way to say that he’s not good because he’s saved this team from some terrible performances on both ends of the field. He’s a very reliable player and that’s exactly what this team has needed in these trying times with a change of coaches and a lot of turnover in the roster. I’m keeping a very close eye on his progression and how CF Montreal views him once this season is over. Does he get a well-deserved contract extension?
Last but not least, let’s talk about Sebastian Breza. I have a new earned respect for Breza and his impact on this team as a backup goalie. I went on kind of a rant on X account about my observations of Breza in practice and games and his importance for this squad outside the pitch so I wont delve too much into that topic. But simply looking at his game against the Union we saw a very confident goalie that was equally vocal and respected by his teammates. One of my favorite things that I saw from Breza, was his distribution ability whether by kicking or throwing. He has tremendous accuracy and clearly loves the quick transition when he gets his hands on the ball which goes great for players like Synchuk who like using their speed to surprise defenders. What I found funny or ironic, was how often you saw Joel waterman yelling at Breza to slow down the play as he was charging up for his next transition. Breza is a firecracker on goal which can be really fun but can also lead to some headaches if things don’t necessarily go your way. One of the things I noticed in Wednesday night’s game against the Union, was how Breza tends to get stuck when the ball starts moving side to side. It’s like his feet stop moving up to a certain point and he starts relying on his height for stops, This style is completely different from what we’ve gotten used to seeing from Jonathan Sirois. I think Breza should get more looks this season.
I missed writing. I really did. I haven’t done it in a long time. I really appreciate all of you who took the time to read my whole take. I know its very long but I’ve gotten sick of writing short sentences of observations. There’s been an increase of responsibilities in my personal life which doesn’t necessarily allow me to sit and write as much as I would like but I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I like writing it. Yes, I’m open to feedback please please please!!!
Andy's Impact Zone 
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