Chicago Fire head coach Frank Klopas was left to rue missed opportunities in their 1-0 defeat to Nashville SC in their last MLS encounter.
The Fire travel to face an in-form CF Montreal side at the Stade Saputo this weekend, a ground they have found relative success at over the past couple of seasons.
Klopas’ side currently occupy 14th place in the Eastern Conference standings but are four points from the playoffs.
Sam Surridge’s only goal compounded Chicago to a 15th loss of the season, and Klopas explained how his side’s lacklustre approach cost them in midweek.
“They scored the goal, but we still had a whole second half where we dominated the ball, but the speed of play had to be better,” said Klopas.
“When you have 10 guys behind the ball you have to move the ball quicker. They needed to do it in those moments, and we needed to get crosses in but we didn’t.
“It’s always difficult on the road but look who the first goal came. I think we could have done better all round as a team. We had our moments but didn’t take advantage of them.”
Montreal, meanwhile, came from two goals down to salvage a point in their 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution last time out, leaving them a place ahead of this weekend’s opponents.
One of Montreal’s scorers was new arrival Tom Pearce after making the move to the MLS in July from League One side Wigan Athletic.
The 26-year-old’s first career goal in the division saw him become the first player from the United Kingdom to score a regular season goal in MLS for Montreal.
And Pearce believes that despite Montreal being two points behind the playoffs, they can make it to the right side of the line in the final five games of the campaign.
“Playoffs are the goal. Maybe it wasn't in the best form, but in the end, we are picking up a point," Pearce said.
"We came into this game confident, ready to play our own game.
"Everyone tries their best, whenever the players are called on, we are always ready, and we are always giving it our best.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
CF Montreal – Josef Martinez
After returning from a knee injury with three goals in his last 10 appearances, Martinez will be keen to strike against a side he has enjoyed recent fixtures against.
The Venezuelan has eight goal contributions (six goals and two assists) against the Fire, a total he has only bettered against four other sides in the MLS.
Chicago Fire – Tobias Salquist
Salquist completed 104 passes in the Fire’s defeat at Nashville SC, the second-most by a Fire player in an MLS match since Opta began detailed data collection of the league in 2010 (Bastian Schweinsteiger – 117 vs. Orlando City in June 2017).
MATCH PREDICTION: CF MONTREAL WIN
Montreal has lost only two of their last 11 home matches in all competitions (W5 D4), including winning three of the last five. Montreal have not won consecutive home matches in a single season since an eight-match home winning streak from April to June last year.
Chicago was held scoreless in their loss to Nashville, the Fire’s ninth time being shutout in an MLS game this season. The only team to be held without a goal in more MLS matches in 2024 is the Coyotes (10).
However, the Fire have lost only two of their 14 all-time visits to Montreal (W9 D3), including winning four of the last five trips. Chicago have not lost in Montreal since a 1-0 defeat in 2017.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
CF Montreal – 45.9%
Draw – 26.7%
Chicago Fire – 27.4%
'Bunny' Shaw at the double as City blank Paris FC 3-0 to secure Champions League group stage play
After missing out on the first leg due to visa issues, Jamaican international Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw once again showed her class in second leg action, as she scored a brace that propelled Manchester City to a 3-0 win over Paris FC and into the Women’s Champions League group stages.
Gareth Taylor said Manchester City are back “where they belong” after they finally ended their disappointing streak in Europe’s top club competition and reaching the, by completing a comprehensive 8-0 aggregate victory over Paris FC.
Shaw found the target in the 31st and 65th minutes, after Chloe Kelly (2nd) opened the scoring in a lopsided contest at the Joie Stadium, as City wrapped up a comprehensive 8-0 aggregate scoreline.
Taylor’s confident-looking side were not involved in Europe at all last season and had been eliminated by Real Madrid in the qualifying rounds of the two campaigns before that. They will now contest the last-16 stage of the competition for the first time since 2020-21, when the knockout format was still in use, and will harbour realistic ambitions of going deep into the competition on the evidence of their strong showing over the two legs of this second-round tie.
“It’s a big honour for us. This is where we want to be. The qualification process is really tough. I’m not the only coach, I’m sure, who has sat, over the past couple of years, with a squad that felt capable of not just being in the Champions League, but actually doing something within it,” Taylor said in a post-game interview.
“Man City is a big club. We feel like we belong there, because we are a big team and we have huge ambitions, but of course the club recognises how difficult it is to be there because of the qualification process. I never felt safe, even at 5-0. A lot of things can go wrong in football. Nothing is a formality,” he added.
Kelly put City in front when she pounced on a loose ball and slotted home inside five minutes.
She then turned provider for Shaw with a weighted cross that the towering Jamaican lashed home for her first goal of the season.
Shaw then registered her second from the penalty spot after she was taken out inside the 18-yard box.
Manchester City, who were semi-finalists in 2017 and 2018, can now look forward to the group-stage draw on Friday and Taylor is cautiously optimistic about their chances there.
“I think getting out of the group stages is going to be our next objective, and once we get out of the group stages, anything can happen. We just want a crack at it, that’s what we want,” he said.
New England Revolution v Nashville SC: Porter holding out hope for playoff spot
Caleb Porter still believes New England Revolution have an outside chance of making the playoffs if they win all their games, starting with Nashville SC.
The Revs currently sit bottom of the Eastern Conference on 28 points and are eight points behind Philadelphia Union in ninth.
They are winless in their last five matches though, alternating between losses and draws, and were heavily beaten 4-0 by Charlotte FC last weekend after Dylan Borrero's sending-off.
Porter remains hopeful, though even he admits it may be just out of the Revs' reach.
"I might be stupid, but I still believe that we can win all five [games] and get in [the MLS Cup Playoffs] somehow," he said, as quoted in The Blazing Musket substack.
"That is the approach that I'm going to take. But if we don't, we are building for the future and I expect, obviously, that we continue developing and keep building.
"We want to give the fans hope and something to look forward to and the right message that we are continuing to grow and that even though this season has been difficult, there is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel."
Meanwhile, Nashville are five points and three places better off than their opponents, after an impressive week saw them win two and draw one of their games.
Head coach BJ Callaghan was left frustrated by some decisions in their 2-2 draw with FC Cincinnati but expects his team to be stronger for it.
"We're a team and a locker room that talks about responding to adversity, training responses, not having emotional reactions to things, so that's part of the game," Callaghan said.
"Decisions are made, and it's our job to respond and move forward."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New England Revolution – Aljaz Ivacic
New England's 4-0 defeat to Charlotte on Saturday was the club's 13th loss by multiple goals in the 2024 regular season.
The Revs have kept just one clean sheet in their last 13 MLS outings (5-0 win over Montreal), and Aljaz Ivacic will be desperate to improve on that run.
Nashville SC – Sam Surridge
Sam Surridge scored both of Nashville's goals in the 2-2 draw with Cincinnati on Saturday.
Each of the last four multi-goal games by a Nashville player, including all three this season, have been by Surridge.
MATCH PREDICTION: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION WIN
Three of the four meetings between New England and Nashville in Foxborough have ended in draws, with the Revs winning the other meeting 1-0 in March 2023. There have been three total goals scored in the four matches, with two of those coming in the 1-1 draw in the Leagues Cup meeting on August 6.
New England are winless in four straight regular season home matches (D3 L1), though each of the last three home games have finished level. This is their longest regular-season winless run in Foxborough since a five-match drought in March-September 2020.
Meanwhile, Nashville are unbeaten in three straight matches (W2 D1) following an eight-match regular-season losing streak. Nashville won their last away match 2-0 at Atlanta United but have not won consecutive regular-season road games since May-June 2023.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New England Revolution – 44.2%
Draw – 26.8%
Nashville SC – 28.9%
Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag: Postecoglou's side win Europa League opener despite early red card
Ten-man Tottenham recovered from an early setback to start their Europa League campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Qarabag.
Despite Radu Dragusin's early red card, goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke helped Ange Postecoglou's side to a third straight win in all competitions.
Just seven minutes had elapsed when the hosts were reduced to 10 men as last-man Dragusin dragged down Juninho after he was caught in possession.
However, Spurs responded brilliantly to take the lead just five minutes later, with Solanke stealing possession and feeding Johnson, who applied a neat first-time finish.
The hosts survived a scare before the break when Juninho steered wide from Elvin Cafarquliyev's cross but doubled their advantage seven minutes after the restart when Mateusz Kochalski helped a corner into the path of Sarr, who instinctively volleyed home.
Qarabag squandered a great opportunity to halve the deficit just before the hour mark when Toral Bayramov's penalty hit the crossbar after Yves Bissouma tripped Cafarquliyev.
Tottenham capitalised in the 68th minute as Kochalski parried Son's shot into Solanke's path and he put the game beyond the visitors, who were denied a consolation later on when Juninho's header was disallowed for offside.
Data Debrief: Spurs soar despite Dragusin's historic early bath
It had the potential to be a difficult night for Tottenham when Dragusin was shown a straight red card - Spurs' earliest in a major European match.
The defender also became the first Tottenham player to be sent off on his European debut.
Spurs recovered to take control of the contest, though they survived a scare when Bayramov hit the bar with Qarabag's first missed penalty in the Europa League after six consecutive successful kicks.
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