MONTREAL – After five straight away games, FC Montreal will host New York Red Bulls II Saturday at 3pm EDT, for the opening game at Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard.
Fans can buy tickets and enter the stadium on the Southwest side of the field starting at 2pm. Tickets cost $5, with $1 going to the Montreal Impact Foundation. Admission is free for season ticket holders on presentation of their membership card. Fans will be seated on the West side in general admission.
Montreal lost its last game 2-1 against Bethlehem Steel FC. David Choinière scored the first goal of the game in the first half, but the Steel converted two consecutive penalties to get the win.
Back from an injury, defender Zachary Sukunda, who played the most minutes for FC Montreal in 2015, got his first minutes of the season coming in as a sub.
“It felt good to be back and to get some minutes,” said Sukunda. “I think that, since our performance against Wilmington, we’ve been getting better. We are really close to getting the win. It’s expected, given the way we’ve been playing.”
“I think everything was fine in Bethlehem except for the last 15 minutes,” said FC Montreal head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “Every time we feel we are getting closer to the win and to points. We hope it will be the case against Red Bulls II as we will have a really different team. Now, it’s also in these moments that you see the character. The Red Bulls are really solid, with some good individuals up front.”
New York stands in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 4-1-3 record, 13 goals scored and six allowed. The team allowed five of six goals in the first half and scored eight of its 13 goals in the second half. Anatole Abang and Brandon Allen are the top scorers of the team with three goals each.
It will be the first game at Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard for FC Montreal, as they played the first two home games at the Olympic Stadium.
“It’s good because we don’t have to travel, but it’s still a new stadium and a new field for the players,” added Eullaffroy. “It will be a first for them.”
The game will also be streamed live on www.montrealimpact.com.
The USL team will play its next game on Saturday, May 28, at 7pm EDT, against the Richmond Kickers, at City Stadium. The next home game will be played on Saturday, June 4, at 3pm EDT, against the Rochester Rhinos.
