Mo Farsi scored in his homecoming and Brais Mendez added a goal as the Columbus Crew kept their playoff hopes alive with a 2-0 win at CF Montreal on Saturday.
Farsi, a Montreal native, made it 1-0 in the 57th minute, and a Mendez set piece doubled the count in the 68th, while Crew (7-14-5, 26 points) goalkeeper Patrick Schulte made two saves for his fifth clean sheet.
Montreal (5-15-6, 21 points) has lost five straight and is winless in its last six.
Farsi put the Crew ahead when he scored from the right edge of the box with a low shot which nestled inside the left netting.
He slipped a slide tackle by Hennadii Synchuk at midfield and Crew captain Sean Zawadzki picked up the ball and passed ahead to set up Farsi’s tally.
Montreal leading scorer Prince Owusu was denied his 14th goal three minutes later when Fabian Hebers was ruled offside after video review.
Mendez extended the advantage with an exquisite 30-yard free kick. The left-footer curled the strike under the bar to the top left corner for his third goal in six starts.
Schulte kept the two-goal lead with a stretching save of Dante Sealy in the 75th minute.
Sitting outside of the playoffs — the Crew at 13th place and Montreal 15th — each side was desperate to build on midweek non-league success.
The Crew on Wednesday advanced to the final of the U.S. Open Cup, while the same night Montreal moved into the Canadian Championship final by downing Vancouver.
However, It’s been tough going in MLS for both clubs. Montreal has eight losses and six ties in the last 15 matches, with the lone win 2-1 at Columbus on Aug. 19.
The Crew are 2-6-1 in their last nine matches and 2-8-3 on the road this season.
Columbus had the best opportunity of the first half in the sixth minute when Santi Rodriguez dribbled through the box to the right side. Once he found an opening he unleashed a shot that hit the frame at the near upper-90.
The Crew had just two off-target shots the remainder of the half.
–Field Level Media
