Montreal Fires Its Worst Coach in Club History, Now Faces the Team That Exposed Him Most

Marco Donadel is gone. Montreal finally pulled the plug on the manager with the worst win percentage in CF Montreal's entire history, and now the team has to figure out how to not completely fall apart against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday afternoon.

This is actually the second time these teams meet this season, and the first one? Montreal won 3-0 on March 8. Yeah, you read that right. The team sitting dead last in the MLS table beat New York convincingly just five weeks ago. But here's the thing: New York has bounced back since then, and Montreal has basically imploded. The Red Bulls are 3-2-2 with 11 points. Montreal is 1-6-0 with just 3 points after dropping the home opener 2-1 to Philadelphia last weekend. That loss was the final straw for ownership.

New Coach, Same Problems

Philippe Eullaffroy is in charge now as caretaker manager. He ran Montreal's academy from 2014 to 2020, left, came back this year as an assistant, and now suddenly he's trying to rescue a sinking ship. At his first press conference, he kept it real about what he's trying to do.

"I'm not gonna reinvent the wheel," Eullaffroy said. "What I want is a very dynamic team playing with a lot of boldness and respect of the game plan."

The urgency is real. Montreal has not won at home yet this season, and last year they were winless at Stade Saputo until June. That's not acceptable. The only team they've actually beaten in league play so far? The Red Bulls, back in March.

Red Bulls Looking Dangerous Again

New York got back on track Wednesday, crushing Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 3-1 in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32. Head coach Michael Bradley got his first win in the competition, and he was especially impressed with academy product Julian Hall, who scored twice. The 18-year-old has been electric this year with seven goal contributions (five goals, two assists) through seven MLS matches.

"It's not just the goals," Bradley said about Hall. "It was his ability to lead our press, to set the tone for everybody in terms of how aggressive we can be to step up and go after the other team."

Montreal might be dealing with some injury issues heading into Saturday. Defender Brayan Vera and midfielder Hennadii Synchuk both have apparent injuries, though Vera didn't train on Tuesday. The team will also be without former Red Bulls midfielder Wiki Carmona, who scored a brace against his old team back in March. That's a lot of missing pieces for a team that desperately needs a win.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.