MONTREAL — A late equalizer from Aleksey Miranchuk forced CF Montreal to settle for a 1-1 draw against Atlanta United on Saturday evening.
Dante Sealy opened the scoring in the 40th minute for Montreal (4-15-7), which has only won once at home in Major League Soccer action.
“I think this was a really solid game with a lot of good chances in the first half … but we didn’t have the energy to score a second goal and kill the game, so the frustration is there,” said Montreal's interim head coach Marco Donadel.
“We were so close, we did our game. We did our game, but not a beautiful game and not with a lot of energy (due to the humidity and draining schedule of late)."
Atlanta (4-11-10) controlled the opening 15 minutes of the match and enjoyed several stints of possession deep in the attacking third. Newly arrived Montreal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier had his hands full early, making a series of key saves against the Atlanta pressure.
“They’re a very good team with very good players and (players in those half spaces) are their strength,” said Victor Loturi. “I think Brandan (Craig) and I just need to keep working, it’s a mental thing, so we need to keep going.”
After 20 minutes, Montreal was able to grow into the game and shut down Atlanta’s midfield, generate attacking threats of its own, most notably from set pieces. Two separate corner kicks yielded a wide-open header from Luca Petrasso that missed the target and a dangerous shot from Sealy, who hit the woodwork.
With five minutes left in the first half, Montreal found the breakthrough and opened the scoring with an incisive sequence of passes. After finding space behind the Atlanta defence, Caden Clark found himself in a two-on-one situation and slid the ball across to Sealy, who made no mistake.
The second half featured a much more balanced game as Montreal and Atlanta traded possession and half-chances without being able to provide the finishing touch. On multiple occasions, Montreal’s low block worked effectively and was able to transition into the open field on the counterattack, without being able to convert.
“It’s the details, to finish the game or not to concede a goal. This is a spot we’re still working,” said Prince Owusu, who wore the captain’s armband for the first time as a starter this season.
"There are some moments where we have to win this battle or win this duel and kick the ball away, especially against a team like Atlanta with a lot of individual quality.”
As the game wound down, Atlanta pushed forward in search of an equalizer and would eventually break the Montreal block just three minutes before regulation time expired.
A corner from Saba Lobjanidze caused chaos in the Montreal penalty area and led to Miranchuk nodding the ball home from just a few inches out. Atlanta nearly left with a dramatic 90th-minute winner, but Miguel Almiron’s curling shot smashed against the crossbar.
“We prepared this game like ‘guys, this is the game to leave last place,’” said Donadel. “Emotionally, it’s two points lost, but at the same time, if you look at the game, it’s one point won.”
With a playoff berth now firmly out of reach and no other competitions to play for, Montreal have turned its attention toward smaller objectives to motivate them, like avoiding a last-placed finish and beating out rivals Toronto FC in the standings.
Saturday's draw moves Montreal into 14th place in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Toronto FC, which has a game in hand.
UP NEXT
Atlanta: Visits the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, Aug. 16.
CF Montreal: Hosts D.C. United on Saturday, Aug. 16.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2025.
Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press
