CF Montreal, Nashville SC face off in need of spark

Wins have been hard to come by recently for CF Montreal and Nashville SC.

With each looking for a spark, Montreal tries again for its first win in Nashville in club history on Saturday night.

Montreal (3-3-3, 12 points) started the season 2-0-1, but is just 1-3-2 since, with that lone victory, 2-1 against Cincinnati on April 13.

Montreal settled for a 0-0 draw at Columbus last weekend, marking the fourth time this season it's been shut out. Still, any point is welcome for a club that's looking to revisit its strong start to the season.

"We could have possibly walked out of (Columbus) with three points, but it's something that we build off of," Montreal defender Raheem Edwards said.

Montreal won the most recent meeting with Nashville, 1-0 on June 21 last season, thanks to Bryce Duke's 27th-minute tally. But it's 0-2-2 all-time at Nashville.

However, this edition of Nashville SC (1-3-5, 8 points) is off to the worst nine-match start in the five-year MLS history of the club. Nashville opened 1-0-3 but is 0-3-2 since a 2-1 home win over Charlotte FC on March 16.

"I absolutely believe that when our group is at its strongest, we can compete with just about any team in this league," said Nashville coach Gary Smith, whose squad has recorded just 10 goals this season.

"The challenge becomes more and more difficult every year."

Nashville moved to 1-1-4 at home after last weekend's 1-1 draw versus San Jose. Hany Mukhtar recorded just his second MLS goal of the season.

Mukhtar has two goals with two assists in six career matches against CF Montreal.

Meanwhile, Montreal plays on despite injuries to Matias Coccaro (three MLS goals in 2024), Kwadwo Opoku and Josef Martinez. Ariel Lassiter recorded his first two MLS goals of the season in the past three matches. However, neither came on the road.