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Two sides eye their first win of the season when CF Montreal visits Austin FC on Saturday in Frisco, Texas.

It will be the second-ever meeting between the two and Montreal’s first visit to Austin. The state of Texas has not been kind to the Canadian side since it entered MLS in 2012, with Montreal going 0-12-2 there before it won its first game in August 2022 against the Dynamo in Houston.

Montreal (0-1-0, 0 points) will be without goalkeeper James Pantemis after he injured his shoulder late in the season-opening 2-0 loss against Inter Miami. He’s expected to be out anywhere from two to six weeks.

Homegrown product Jonathan Sirois, who replaced Pantemis in the loss to Miami, will make his first MLS start. The 21-year-old Montreal native came up through the club’s Academy and spent the last two seasons on loan with Valour FC in Winnipeg in the Canadian Premier League.

“It’s exciting, that’s for sure,” Sirois said. “It’s been a long road to get here. The club invested in me by sending me on a loan so that I could gain experience and become a better player. It’s time for me to get on the pitch and be the best I can be.”

Austin FC (0-1-0, 0 points) is coming off a 3-2 defeat against first-year side St. Louis City in their season opener last weekend at home.

Saturday’s tilt kicks off a busy stretch for Austin, which will play a pair of CONCACAF Champions League contests and two MLS road matches (at Real Salt Lake and at Houston) all within an 15-day span.

The club emerged victorious in its first-ever matchup against Montreal last season, with Maxi Urruti delivering the only goal of the match in a 1-0 victory.

The mid-June tilt was the start of a seven-game unbeaten streak overall (5-0-2) and six-game road unbeaten streak (5-0-1).

“It was one of the season-defining moments for us,” defender Jon Gallagher told the team website. “Being a man down at halftime, getting together, it was a test of the character and maturity of the group. It was a big moment for us and set us on that run of results.”

Midfielder Sebastian Druissi tallied in the season opener and has scored in five straight home games dating back to last season and 10 of the last 11, including playoffs — notching 13 goals in that span.

–Field Level Media