COLUMBUS – It was not a pretty sight for the Columbus Crew as they returned home to face a struggling CF Montreal side. With a 3-1 loss looming over them against Charlotte FC last weekend, the Black & Gold were hoping to turn things around Wednesday night. Instead, countless errant passes, miscommunication, and more caused the Crew to falter 2-1 against their Canadian counterparts.
The visitors started strong, with Prince Owusu scoring the opener in the fifth minute, collecting a through ball and sliding his attempt under an onrushing Patrick Schulte. His 12th goal of the season gave early hope for the visitors and forced Columbus to yet again claw their way from behind.
In the 20th minute, the Crew found an equalizer through an own goal by CF Montreal keeper Thomas Gillier. Jalen Neal played a back pass to Gillier, who missed his clearance attempt and slipped the ball into the back of the net, much to the chagrin of his teammates. That was deemed to be the only highlight for the Black & Gold.
It wasn’t until the 41st minute that the Crew got their first shot on goal. Dylan Chambost’s left-footed shot just missed the far post that would’ve given Columbus the go-ahead just before the break.
Columbus seemed better in the second half. The possession game was stronger, the passes were less hectic, and the success down the right wing proved to be the go-to. However, the Crew couldn’t find that final pass in attack; that would’ve been the icing on the cake to end a strong buildup.
Columbus’ best chance of the night came in the 50th minute after Gillier was forced to make a save. The ball fell to Mohamed Farsi, who had a go from close range, but missed the frame.
Montreal grabbed their go-ahead goal through Noah Streit, who found space in front of his solo run before ripping his shot into the top corner past Schulte. The goal came in the 78th minute, proving to be the game-winner for the Canadian side, earning their fifth win of the season.
Much like their loss to Charlotte FC, Columbus were outplayed, outcoached, and had an abysmal performance. Laurent Courtois will need to figure out how to get the best of his team for the rest of the season, but if performances like this one continue, Columbus will miss the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
The Crew is back on the road Saturday to take on Nashville SC. Kickoff from Geodis Park is set for 8:30 p.m. EDT. You can watch the match on Apple TV.
