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MLS Club de Foot Montreal

CF Montréal Tops Philadelphia Union, 4-2

June 29, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club de Foot Montreal News Release


MONTREAL - In the team's ninth consecutive sold-out game of the season, CF Montréal came from behind twice to defeat the Philadelphia Union 4-2 on Saturday evening at Stade Saputo.

In rainy conditions, the Union first took the lead through Quinn Sullivan in the 29th minute.

In his first start since April 6, striker Josef Martínez struck back for the Montrealers seven minutes later, heading home Bryce Duke's corner kick.

The two teams then exchanged a goal apiece courtesy of Jesus Bueno for Philadelphia (41'), then Duke from a free kick in the 56th minute.

The deadlock was finally broken with Dominic Iankov's second goal of the season, finding the back of the net for the first time of his career at Stade Saputo.

Defender Ruan then doubled the Montrealers' lead (90') with his first CF Montréal goal.

CF Montréal's next game is on Wednesday against New York City FC at Citi Field (MLS Season Pass, BPM Sports, TSN 690).

MATCH NOTES

-Gabriele Corbo made his 50th MLS start for the Club. It was also his 60th game in MLS.

-Josef Martínez scored his third goal of the season. It was his 108th MLS goal and seventh in his career against the Union. He is now tied with Jason Kreis for 8th all-time in MLS scoring.

-Iankov's goal equals a Club record for most goals scored by substitutes in a single MLS season (8), set in 2021 and reached again in 2022.

Postgame comments from head coach Laurent Courtois, Josef Martínez and Bryce Duke:

LAURENT COURTOIS

"We told ourselves we wanted to change the scenario at half-time. The guys were more effective in the box. It is a relief and a pleasure. We were paying close attention to how the guys reacted when we fell behind. Josef was communicative. We needed to keep working. I was happy that he was pulling the team up. We had to find transitions for our defenders to break the Union's line of press. We did a better job in the second half of distinguishing that, but there are a lot of aspects on the ball and defensively that they need to keep developing. We need time, experience and patience."

JOSEF MARTÍNEZ

"It can be difficult sometimes, because we have a lot of young players on the team. I try to do my best and put my experience to good use. I try to set an example in training. I hope the guys accept what I suggest. But the most important thing is the three points. We talked about the team's youth. With more experience, you can sometimes quickly recognize certain game situations. We adapted in the second half to punish Philadelphia. We're happy to have beaten such a tough opponent tonight. When I was injured, it wasn't in a match situation, so it was frustrating. But that's sports. We have to keep up the momentum. There are still a lot of games to play and we have to keep pushing. We'll enjoy tonight and keep working tomorrow."

BRYCE DUKE

"With our team, every goal starts from the back. The connection between Nathan and I was good tonight, but there are still areas for improvement. I'm happy with the result. I consider it my goal. I don't see the point in calling it an own goal. The ball crossed the line. Every time we play a game, we know we have to treat it as a must-win. The standings are tight. With a few winning streaks, we can quickly climb the rankings. We need to keep this competitive mentality and replicate tonight's result. The most important thing for us is not to drop our level when we take the lead. We had to prove ourselves in the first half and keep playing for the full 90 minutes."

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