Orlando City will be without their starting goalkeeper and their captain when they host a woeful CF Montreal side on Saturday.
Pedro Gallese and defender Robin Jansson will sit out the match due to an accumulation of yellow cards after each was booked in a 2-2 draw against Charlotte FC last week. Their absences open opportunities for younger players to step in for Orlando (9-5-7, 34 points).
“The importance of the roster is that they need to show up now in these moments where yellow-card issues come or where there’s suspension or injuries,” coach Oscar Pareja said. “The guys that are waiting for their opportunities, it’s time to come and show that that’s the reason why they are here.”
Javier Otero will fill in for Gallese in goal, making his second MLS start of the season. The 22-year-old started for the Lions in a 4-1 win against D.C. United in March.
The Lions will have Alex Freeman back after the rookie defender competed for the United States in the Gold Cup.
“It’s great for the club, for the academy, for our process, for the community,” Pareja said. “We are happy for him and happy to have him back.”
Orlando rallied from a 2-0 deficit to earn a point against Charlotte and is 2-1-1 in its past four matches. Although it’s lost just five MLS matches all season, three of those have come in their past six.
On the other side, a miserable season for CF Montreal (3-13-5, 14 points) continues to drag on. After winning two of its previous three matches, the Canadian side lost 4-1 to Inter Miami last week. Prince Owusu’s team-leading eighth goal of the season opened the scoring before the visitors rallied.
On Wednesday, Montreal was eliminated from the Canadian Championship with a 2-2 draw against the Canadian Premier League’s Hamilton Forge, who had earned a 1-0 win in the first match back in May.
Offense has been a season-long struggle for CF Montreal, who have scored 18 goals in 21 matches, third-fewest in MLS. They’ve been shut out eight times and have scored more than one goal only four times. Four of the matches in which they’ve been blanked came under former head coach Laurent Courtois, who was fired following a 0-4-1 start.
“The goal from now through the end of the season — for me, for the staff, for the players — is to show that we all want to be here,” interim coach Marco Donadel said. “Because we love this team, and without that, you can’t build. Of course, it’s easy to say that. We have to prove it by working.”
Montreal is last in the Eastern Conference and just two points out of last place in the league overall.
–Field Level Media
