CF Montreal is out of the playoffs, and they have nothing left to play for. The club has already declared a rebuild and you can only imagine that they are more impatient than anybody to turn the page on the 2025 season. This means that the expectations going forward for the rest of 2025 are little to nil. There are some players that should be playing these games for a job in 2026 either here or elsewhere, but clearly those that have been left out of the gameday squad have not shown enough to Marco Donadel. It’s remarkable to think that in such a short period of time, Donadel has managed to have his players buy in to his style of play and back him publicly to the media but it’s also clear that some of those other players have quickly landed in Donadel’s “doghouse” if you will. I’m not trying to say that it’s a waste of your time to watch the last 4 games of the season, if anything you should consume every minute of it and I’ll tell you why. The team is clearly focused on the long-term future of this team which means that they’re looking to build from the ground up. Is it annoying? Maybe, but this is going to test out the patience of those who have stuck with the club through thick and thin and continue showing up at Stade Saputo rooting for their team to win. It is going to happen. The team is hoping that gone are the days when Olivier Renard would tell the press that “they’re not playing for trophies” and instead can give the fans the confidence to renew their season tickets and invest on the hope of better days ahead. But not just the fans. Also, people in the building need the reassurance that there are better times to come with more talented and experienced players to help groom the young ones. I don’t think a lot of teams around the MLS have the luxury to be eliminated so early on and play for nothing. To essentially take on the role of “party poopers” to teams who are desperate for wins to continue fighting for a playoff spot. It’s a chance for Donadel and his staff to build a culture in the locker room and stamp their identity into the group that will be coming back next year.
I know I went on a bit of a rant but the point of my article is to talk about Saturday night’s game versus the New York Red Bulls, who are fighting for a playoff spot and CF Montreal was another low-level team that was in their way and could be viewed as an “easier” opponent compared to others left down the stretch, and unfortunately they were right. New York was simply the better team overall and are clearly a team that is leaps and bounds ahead of where Montreal currently finds themselves. Eric Choupo-Moting is a world-class striker that used his veteran experience to score the second goal that left the 21-year-old Efrain Morales planted and gave Moting a 1 v 1 against Thomas Gillier. This is the team’s biggest fault, the insistence on starting such young players to face some world-class players that can build your confidence or destroy it. It’s a very tricky game that they play by deploying such youngsters with no veteran guidance and right now we are seeing the result of that gamble. The rebuild has to consist of bringing in many more veteran players in the locker room to mentor and help out the coaching staff.
In any case let’s break down the game:
Goalkeeping & Defending
Thomas Gillier wasn’t tested too much during this game because Montreal was playing catch up most of the game after giving up 2 goals by the 30th minute. Were those goals Gilier’s fault? No. Could he have done better? Maybe. But the errors made by the defenders (and the referee) would put even world-class goalies in a precarious position. So, we have to look at the rest of his game on Saturday night. Offensively, Gillier wasn’t too involved as he mostly did short passes to his defenders. However, his role becomes that much more important when a team like the Red Bulls, who like to press high, are constantly suffocating your backline making Gillier’s timing and quick decisions crucial to getting CF Montreal out of their own half. Do I like Gillier better than Sirois? I don’t know, but I definitely want to see more of Gillier from now until the end of the season. We’ve seen enough of Sirois to know his best and his worst. I don’t think this team needs a superstar at goalie, but they definitely need one with a lot more upside than Sirois has shown so far.
Bode Hidalgo got his first start for the Blue-Blanc-Noir on Saturday night, and he performed well. It’s still way too early to give an honest analysis of what his game is, but I don’t think he did anything in particular to stand out negatively. He did his job and was very active on the right side. He seems to be understanding how demanding the role of fullback is under Donadel’s scheme and was very active on both ends. You could also see that he’s starting to develop the understanding of when to turn into an offensive fullback while not abandoning his defensive duties. He was assigned to man-mark a world-class midfielder in Emile Forsberg, and by all means, he did a great job in shutting him down and making him nearly a non-factor during the game. Again, a very demanding role that requires the fullback to be in their top shape. I like that Hidalgo’s signing allows for Dawid Bugaj to get some rest after being overplayed the season, but Bugaj has the higher ceiling between the two so I think he should be getting more playing time in the last few games, unless the club views Hidalgo as the future right back for this team and plan to sell Bugaj this offseason. Next week’s game will be very telling as to what direction the team is looking to take. If Hidalgo starts again, it’ll be very interesting to see how his dynamic with the right winger develops.
Efrain Morales was tasked with what could be considered the toughest homework of the night: man-marking Eric Choupo-Moting. At first glance, it might seem like the New York forward got the best of the Montreal defender solely based on the second New York goal. And, of course, that’s a very fair assessment because sometimes it just takes one moment of magic to change the game, but if you look at the overall game, Morales was locked in on Choupo-Moting the whole night and, similar to Hidalgo, frustrated him out of his game. Morales, similar to what we saw earlier this year from George Campbell, has quickly learned how to use his big frame to position himself in front of attackers and stop momentum when it comes to those 50-50 balls. However, where Morales is clearly struggling is against those shifty forwards that make him move around a lot more. He’s going to have to learn to pick his movements a little bit better to avoid getting caught out of position like he did against New York. I insist that this defense needs a veteran presence that can mentor young players with potential to give them advice on how to deal with veteran forwards who will use any type of tricks (mental or physical) to throw off the defenders. With 3 interceptions and 4 clearances, Morales had his hands full Saturday night and responded well. Offensively his passes to Synchuk were much better as the game progressed and those two have the potential of making that right side for CF Montreal very dangerous.
Jalen Neal was back in the starting line-up for CF Montreal after his bout with appendicitis and also struggled early on but played much better as the game went on but it’s clear that his chemistry with his teammates is still a bit rusty. But I will say this, the quality of play didn’t drop with Neal in the line-up and that’s very important. Usually, after having missed such an extended amount of time, it could take players a few weeks or games before they get back into the flow of things, but all credit goes to the coaching staff and the work they’ve put into making sure injured or bench players are set to go once they’re back on the field. Offensively, Neal showed rustiness early on, but similar to Morales, improved as the game progressed. His stats also showed what a balanced game he had versus New York by going 5 for 5 in long balls and 9 of 14 in duels. The Neal-Morales tandem could end up being the future of Montreal, but I would bet that it won’t last longer than 2026 if they learn to make each other better. Both Neal and Morales will need to learn the other’s strength and weakness to complement each other and camouflage their errors. These next few games will be crucial for both as they learn each other’s games and how they make the other better. Trust needs to be built, and it needs to be built fast.
Luca Petrasso is starting to become a problem for me. You might say, why Andy? He’s done nothing wrong from this team. He’s one of CF Montreal’s most reliable player in terms of minutes played and has even contributed 4 assists and 2 goals in 36 games. So, why? Well, what else does Petrasso bring to the team? He’s played 36 games, and he’s contributed 4 assists in all competitions. Let’s compare that to 28-year-old Kai Wagner of the Philadelphia Union (1st in the east), who has 9 assists and 2 goals in 32 games. And yes, CF Montreal has publicly said that the Union are a team that they want to model their infrastructure to. I’m not saying Petrasso is a bad player or doesn’t belong in the club, but I think he’s missing the “it” factor that Donadel’s scheme needs in that position. And if this team is really aiming much higher during this rebuild and paying a hefty price on their wingers, the full back becomes that much more of an important position. Petrasso could be a very good backup in this scheme but at 25 years old, I highly doubt he’ll accept that relegation. In any case, whatever happens in the future with Petrasso, CF Montreal really got the most out of a trialist this season.
Midfield
Samuel Piette played an okay game. How many more times am I going to have to write that? Again, if this is really aiming much higher during this rebuild the midfield position will be one that they will need to take a very close look at. That includes Piette. At 30 years old, is he at a point of his career where he’s more fit to be a backup? Is his lack of flexibility in the midfield becoming more of a liability than help to a team desperate to win games? Piette understandably looked a step slower than everybody else as he gets back on the field after an extended time away from the field, but did you guys see what I just said about Neal? Different injuries but, nonetheless, two players returning from extended injuries. I think Samuel Piette gives his 120% when he’s on the field and he’s still one of the best defensive midfielders in the league, but that doesn’t mean that he’s the best starting midfield in the MLS. I simply don’t think it aligns with where this club wants to go in the future if Ivan Jaime and Hennadii Synchuk’s signing are any indication of the plans of the Saputo brothers. The only thing is… how do you do it? On Saturday night, Piette was 2 for 2 in duels in 63 minutes played, while his counterpart participated in 15 duels. This stat either tells us Piette played a more offensive role, or New York didn’t play too much through him, or Piette wasn’t close to the play most of the time. Piette had two shots on goal on Saturday night which is extremely rare to see from him and it’s very encouraging to see, but it’s so far away from Piette’s game, so, to me, he’s become more of a situational player for this team.
On the other side you had Victor Loturi who didn’t have his best defensive game. New York frequently had their centerbacks running straight through the middle untouched, which again wasn’t completely his fault, but he definitely did not help. He could have been better, but Donadel was once again asking his midfielders to play man to man which frequently made them be displaced either too forward or too far on the side giving New York a lot of space in the middle. It’s hard to blame either Piette or Loturi for this, but at the same time, are they the right profile of player for Donadel in 2026? I really liked his role as a facilitator in the attack on the left side as he made near perfect passes to Ivan Jaime to set him up on the left wing and give him clear chances. I don’t know if Loturi is the creative midfielder that CF Montreal needs for a potent attack, but he is a very interesting player to bounce off in quick transitions. With 85% passing and 15 lost possessions with 64 touches, Saturday was a rough one for Loturi, and again, not completely his fault as his workload was doubled.
Attack
Ivan Jaime on the left side for 90 minutes was a show tonight behold, and I say that for the good and the bad. His talent is undeniable and it’s the kind of talent that can flip game results upside down. The only thing that is a concern to me is that we’re seeing Jaime play in a bad team that is eliminated from any competition and that has nothing to lose. This team has been so bad this season that anything spectacular that Jaime does will bring the oos and aas from the fans, and with every reason. But what’s going to happen when this team needs Jaime to play at a very high level during long stretches of the season? What about when Montreal is down by a couple of goals and needs him to score? How does he deal with the pressure to perform at the MLS level? Can he do it in a month with back-to-back mid-week games? Against New York, Jaime had some spectacular movements of creative attack and would leave defenders on the dust, but there were also moments where he missed the wide-open attacker and instead chose to take shot himself while being heavily defended. I know that’s the mentality of an attacker, but he will quickly need to learn to share the wealth if this team wants any shot at being competitive. He was 11 of 18 in duels and had 6 of 8 successfully dribbles which shows how menacing he can be on a 1 v 1 scenario but then there’s the 19 lost possessions, which weren’t necessarily his fault because there was a clear lack of understanding between him and Owusu which seemed to improve as the game went on. I will also say that I like that he’s trying new things. New concepts. Something that maybe MLS defenders are not used to facing, but as it’s happened to every new player in the league, teams adapt quickly, and they will find ways to defend Jaime, and this is where his creativity and flexibility in his game will be important. Jaime clearly will need help in this scheme to be at his best, but he is a very interesting profile. This makes you wonder: what if he would have been there at the start of the season? I’ll also say that I like how involved he gets on defense and has no issues switching off with Petrasso to defend low.
Let’s talk about Dante Sealy…. he’s not bad, no? But he’s not good either is he? So where does he fit in this team’s future? Where does he fit in now? Against New York, he was 1 for 8 in duels, had 11 possessions lost, was dribbled past 4 times, was 0 for 1 in crosses, and had a 70% passing rating. Those are not the stats of a player who needs to be a threat on the right side to give Jaime a chance to operate more freely. The league seems to have figured out Dante Sealy on the right side. He’s a very interesting profile when he’s in transition or has a lot of space in front of him, but when he has to dribble the ball up and transition the game, he will be too slow to make a decision and will often have the ball taken from him. Sealy needs to add more aspects to his game. He’s too young to be one dimensional. At this point he needs to be relegated to back up and give players like Mahala Opoku a chance to show something in the last few games. I think Sealy might be a great bench player until he refines his game to bring a lot more surprises to defenders because right now defenders can predict his movements and thoughts, and Sealy is clearly starting to get frustrated and forcing shots and wasting opportunity for CF Montreal. He’s 22 and came to this club as a trialist and, similar to Petrasso, the club has managed to get the most out of him, is he really in line with the club’s new vision for a higher standard?
Hennadii Synchuk had, in my opinion, the worst first half since he joined CF Montreal. The game seemed to be going around him and he didn’t seem to have any understanding where the ball should go or where that was coming from. He was misplaced constantly, and his passing decisions were poor. It’s like a change of position to a 10 made him a brand-new player, but not in a good way. But once the second half came around, he got a lot more comfortable, and his movements felt a lot more of what we’ve grown use to seeing from him. His chemistry with Prince was atrocious as they both couldn’t seem to get in the same page at all. He was 5 of 7 in dribbles and 15 of 21 in duels with 2 big chances created and 4 of 6 in crosses. Those stats look nice but then you see he had 24 possessions lost with 76 touches with a 69% passer rating, it makes you see that he was very successful in his 1 v 1s but struggled heavily when he needed to set up the game which was essentially was the role Donadel tried him out for and it wasn’t a pretty experiment. On the positive side, it was the first time we saw 90 minutes of Synchuk!
Let’s talk about good old Prince Owusu who has quickly become a fan favorite because of his scoring and his charming personality. He had a very tough outing versus St. Louis where he seemed off his game, but it felt like we were seeing him getting back to his old self on Saturday with his constant runs that suffocated defenders in his high press on the center backs and goalie. His runs had a lot of intent, and the idea was there but there was clearly a lack of understanding from those around him. I still believe he’s one of this team’s best players, but he can’t do it on his own and its been that same battle since the start of the season for him. He had 3 key passes while going 6 of 10 in duels and five shots on goal. The problem I have with Owusu on Saturday night was his lack of understanding with his colleagues. He had 9 turnovers with 71% passing with 36 touches in 90 minutes. He has new pieces around him, but he’ll need to quickly learn the way they see the attack so he can continue his streak of goals. He’s clearly a talented player that fits perfectly in Donadel’s scheme and has the stats to show for it. However, it still makes you wonder if he’s only an excellent player with CF Montreal because they were so bad this year? Would he had performed the same way if he joined Seattle? What about the Philadelphia Union? Is it CF Montreal’s lack of talent an advantage for Owusu?
In conclusion, a very pre-season feel to a game that should feel differently in September. I think there’s a lot to be excited about the talent this team has started to bring to the team. This is the ugly part of the rebuild. This is the maddening part. A lot of experiments. Some good and some bad, but at least there are changes. So, I tell you the same thing I told you in May: forget the wins. Watch the games to see the process of the rebuild. Do it for your own mental health. Observe how the new signatures adapt to the league and Donadel’s scheme. There might be a win here and there but don’t get too excited. This is still a rebuild.
Andy's Impact Zone 
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