Charlotte FC push to lock up top-4 playoff spot against CF Montreal

After their nine-match winning streak came to an end on the road, Charlotte FC will look to improve on their MLS-best home record as they face visiting CF Montreal on Saturday.

Charlotte FC (17-12-2, 53 points) fell to New York City FC 2-0 on Sept. 20, falling one win shy of breaking the MLS record for most consecutive victories in the post-shootout era (since 2000).

Charlotte, which leads the league with 12 home wins, is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference. But it could be without second-leading scorer Pep Biel (10 goals) on Saturday.

"He's got a little bit of tendinitis, so he's 50-50 at the moment. He felt it during the game (against NYCFC) when he came on," Charlotte head coach Dean Smith said.

With three matches to go, Smith's main objective is to keep his team in a top-four spot to secure home-field advantage in the first round.

"(It will) give ourselves a better chance than last season in the playoffs," Smith said. "We've still got some work to do now to get there (but) we know what our job is and what we've got to do. We've got to be at the top of our game."

Montreal (5-17-9, 24 points), long eliminated from playoff contention, gathered some momentum with a five-game unbeaten stretch (2-0-3). That was quickly followed by a pair of 2-0 losses, most recently against the New York Red Bulls on Sept. 20.

Losing to the Red Bulls wasn't due to a lack of effort, Montreal interim head coach Marco Donadel said.

"It's clear that we gave our 100 percent," Donadel said. "It's clear that we have quality. It's clear that we can build something. We gave everything on the field, we just need to be a bit more solid in some situations and to finish."

While CF Montreal's sights are set on 2026, Donadel hopes the team can demonstrate growth as the 2025 season winds down.

"I promise that this is the right path to be ready to fight every game, to win the next season, and to win as many games as we can," Donadel said.

Charlotte FC won the earlier matchup, 1-0, on April 12 as Biel tallied in the 16th minute.

--Field Level Media