New York City FC host CF Montréal on Saturday, October 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00PM ET.
Here are the Keys to the Match, presented by Ford.
Nothing Else Matters
Head Coach Pascal Jansen invoked Metallica in his post-match comments on Wednesday night.
“The plan remains the same. Three points and nothing else matters, as Metallica said.”
It truly is that simple. New York City FC need to win their remaining two games if they are to stand any chance of making the postseason in 2026.
In some ways, stripping things back to simplicity makes things easier this weekend. Stood in the way of three points is CF Montréal.
The Canadian outfit have already been eliminated from the playoff race, but will still have pride to play for on Saturday afternoon. They arrive in New York fresh off a disappointing 4-0 defeat on the road against Charlotte FC.
Both teams have clear and simple motivations to win on Saturday, and that should make for an enthralling contest.
Buzzer Beater
Bénie Traoré’s stunning strike on Wednesday was one to savor.
As well as being a moment of brilliance, it was the third stoppage-time goal scored by the team in MLS this season.
Two of those three have arrived in the last week. First, Jonny Shore came up big in the 99th minute with a well-taken finish against Orlando City. That was followed up by Traoré’s memorable strike.
While on the surface a fun statistic, it also speaks to the team’s determination and resilience. This group refuses to give up, and that commitment to playing until the final whistle has served them well in recent weeks.
That mentality will be important in the two regular-season games that remain, with everything on the line, starting on Saturday afternoon against Montréal.
Form Guide
Saturday’s meeting will be the 25th between New York City FC and CF Montréal.
The first meeting, back in 2015, saw New York City emerge 3-1 winners thanks to goals from David Villa, Mix Diskerud and Kwadwo Poku.
More recently, Montréal have been the team to emerge victorious. Four of the last five meetings have been won by Montréal, including three consecutive 1-0 victories. In better news, New York City’s last win against Montréal came at Citi Field, where Saturday’s game will take place.
A brace from Alonso Martínez secured a 2-0 victory for New York City. That was the second consecutive 2-0 win for New York City FC against Montréal.
Interestingly, the last seven games between these two sides have seen only one team score on the day. That could make the first goal on Saturday vital as both teams chase three points at the business end of the season.
