CF Montréal and Orlando City Share the Points in a Fiery, Yet Goalless Contest

By Alonso Contreras

There may not have been any goals at Stade Saputo on Saturday night, but there was no shortage of drama as CF Montréal and Orlando City SC played out a tense 0-0 draw that featured 28 total shots, multiple gilt-edged chances, and a late red card for the visitors.

First Half – Cagey and Physical

The tone was set early when Orlando’s Kyle Smith went into the book in just the third minute for a clumsy foul on Hennadii Synchuk. From that point on, both sides approached the match with high intensity but struggled for quality in the final third.

Orlando looked the brighter in the opening exchanges, with Luis Muriel and Iván Angulo both trying their luck from range. The clearest chance of the half fell to Muriel in the 43rd minute when he found space centrally but pulled his shot wide with an xG of 12%. Moments later, Marco Pašalić tested Jonathan Sirois, who stood tall in goal for Montréal.

The home side responded through Dante Sealy, whose left-footed strike in the 19th minute from outside the box forced a smart save from Pedro Gallese. Sealy was a consistent threat, though lacked the final product, sending one over the bar in the 6th minute and again from distance in the 20th.

Both coaches made halftime tweaks—Caden Clark replaced Bryce Duke for Montréal, while Rafael Santos came on for Kyle Smith in a switch that would later haunt Orlando.

Second Half – All Action, No Finish

The second half saw Montréal seize the initiative. Caden Clark, in particular, was lively, firing three efforts on goal and testing Gallese with a decent strike from distance in the 51st minute.

By the 60th minute, tempers began to flare. Rafael Santos picked up a yellow for a cynical foul on Synchuk, and 16 minutes later he repeated the offense—this time on Dante Sealy—and was duly shown a second yellow and his marching orders.

With the man advantage, Montréal turned up the pressure. Sealy had a low drive saved in the 82nd, and substitute Dawid Bugaj saw his shot blocked by Dagur Thorhallsson minutes later. George Campbell and Prince Owusu both came close late, but Gallese and his back line held firm.

The final real chance came in the 90+3' minute, when Owusu found himself in space inside the box, but his left-footed effort—a low-probability shot with a 4% xG—drifted wide of the post, encapsulating Montréal’s frustrating evening in front of goal.

Stats Snapshot:

• Shots: Montréal 16 – 12 Orlando

• Shots on Target: Montréal 6 – 3 Orlando

• xG: Montréal 1.22 – 0.81 Orlando

• Yellow Cards: Montréal 3 – 2 Orlando

• Red Cards: Orlando 1 (Rafael Santos, 76’)

• Possession: Montréal 53% – 47% Orlando

Man of the Match: Pedro Gallese (Orlando City)

The Peruvian international was in inspired form, making six saves and commanding his box under constant pressure in the second half. His performance ensured that Orlando escaped Montréal with a hard-earned point.

What’s Next?

CF Montréal will feel aggrieved not to have taken all three points, especially after dominating the final half-hour against ten men. They now prepare to host Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union next week.

Orlando City, meanwhile, return to Florida to face Atlanta United with concerns over discipline—but buoyed by a resilient defensive showing.