Field Level Media
01 Nov 2020, 00:25 GMT+10
The Montreal Impact attempt to snap out of a late-season slide and get closer to securing a playoff berth under first-year coach Thierry Henry on Sunday when they host Orlando City SC in Harrison, N.J.
Montreal (7-12-2, 23 points) has lost four of its last five matches and currently sits ninth in the Eastern Conference, which has 10 postseason bids up for grabs in an expanded format.
The Impact were badly outplayed in their most recent defeat, a 1-0 home loss to expansion Nashville SC in which the visitors led 16-6 in shots and 6-2 in efforts on target.
That leaves Montreal in need of a win against one of the strongest teams in the East. But it has succeeded in previous matches against Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew, two of the top three in the conference standings entering the weekend.
"Obviously we know that Orlando is a strong side," midfielder Samuel Piette said after the loss to Nashville. "They're pretty strong and they will come out strong because they're having a good season. But I think we can compete with any team and it's on us to show that passion and desire that we can stay above that red line."
Orlando (9-3-8, 35 points) is trying to solidify a top four spot and a first-round home playoff game. The club currently trails third-place Columbus on the first tiebreak of total wins, and leads fifth-place New York City FC by two points, with a match in hand.
The Lions are coming off a resounding 4-1 home win over Atlanta United, their first at Exploria Stadium against their rivals since the series between the clubs began in 2017.
That victory may have hurt Atlanta's chances to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in their club's history. Now Orlando has to try and match the intensity of another club attempting to secure its playoff spot.
"There's a lot of teams still right on the playoff bubble and Montreal is one of them," said Orlando forward Tesho Akindele, who scored in the win over Atlanta. "So we know they're going to be fighting and clawing for the points and we have to be ready for that."
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Ohio Standard news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Ohio Standard.
More InformationCULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...
OMAHA, Nebraska: With Congress considering cuts totaling around US$1 trillion to Medicaid over the next decade, concerns are rising...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. government has granted GE Aerospace permission to resume jet engine shipments to China's COMAC, a person...
MILAN, Italy: Italian regulators have flagged four non-EU countries—including Russia—as carrying systemic financial risk for domestic...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump is drawing praise from his core supporters after halting key arms shipments to Ukraine, a...
CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...
PARIS, France: A strike by French air traffic controllers demanding improved working conditions caused significant disruptions during...
OMAHA, Nebraska: With Congress considering cuts totaling around US$1 trillion to Medicaid over the next decade, concerns are rising...
ROME, Italy: Quick thinking by emergency responders helped prevent greater devastation after a gas station explosion in southeastern...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump is drawing praise from his core supporters after halting key arms shipments to Ukraine, a...