Their paths have been almost identical as of late.

Both Inter Miami and CF Montreal have dropped consecutive games after stringing together winning streaks. The two teams, which currently reside in the bottom third of the MLS Eastern Conference standings, are set to cross paths Saturday night at Montreal.

Inter Miami (5-8-0, 15 points) dropped recent contests against Nashville SC and Orlando City SC. On Tuesday, Inter Miami rebounded in a rematch with Nashville, earning a 2-1 victory in a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 game.

The team is confident about returning to league play.

“I thought the guys enjoyed the Cup atmosphere,” Inter Miami head coach Phil Neville said. “What we’re really focusing on trying to create with this football club, is to get a trophy. That’s the challenge for us. I don’t think anyone can question the character, the belief, and spirit of this team and this football club.”

Leonardo Campana and Josef Martinez are tied for the Inter Miami lead with three goals each.

CF Montreal (5-8-0, 15 points) won four in a row before losing to FC Cincinnati and the New York Red Bulls in succession. Like Inter Miami, Montreal also got back on track in non-league action earlier this week, defeating Forge FC 2-0 on Wednesday to advance to the Canadian Championship final.

A change in strategy helped them find their groove.

“We had a lot of possession in the first half, but it was hard to create chances,” Montreal head coach Hernan Losada said. “We added an extra striker and that helped us afterwards. The first goal opened the game for us. I asked the players to take a little more risk and finish the actions because anything can happen in these opportunities.”

Romell Quioto leads CF Montreal with two goals, while Mathieu Choiniere has two goals and two assists.

In MLS play dating back to July 2021, Inter Miami and Montreal are even with two wins apiece and a draw in the series.

–Field Level Media