Soccer
Interim CF Montreal boss Philippe Eullaffroy revealed he still has “lots of tricks in his pocket” when asked about the team’s progress during the early days of his tenure.
Eullaffroy was put in temporary charge of Montreal earlier this month after Marco Donadel was sacked, and he has made a strong start with back-to-back MLS victories.
Montreal beat New York City FC 1-0 thanks to Prince Owusu’s 18th-minute strike last time out, with that result moving them up to 11th in the Eastern Conference.
And their next test sees them make the trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to take on an Atlanta United side that are just two points and one place behind them in the standings.
Eullaffroy was asked how close Montreal were to replicating what he wanted them to do, and the 62-year-old insisted that there is still plenty more in the tank.
“I think we have only reached 20% of what I would like to do,” Eullaffroy said. “I say that because I have a lot of tricks in my pocket. And some tricks need a bit of time to work on.
“So yeah, just 20%. But if we are already doing the 20% well, then next week we might add 5% and continue to improve from there.
“But we need to respect the learning curve of the players, because they also need time to become consciously competent, and we need time to achieve that moving forwards.”
Bonne humeur et travail intense à l’entraînement
Hard work + fun = the perfect combo #CFMTL pic.twitter.com/bCamVHNLaY
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) April 28, 2026
Atlanta, meanwhile, ended their five-game winless run in MLS (D1 L4) last time out by beating Toronto FC 2-1, with Tristan Muyumba and Aleksey Miranchuk on target.
The Five Stripes followed that up by reaching the U.S. Open Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Charlotte FC, with Tata Martino’s side beginning to find their groove.
Atlanta are at home in their next two league matches before a two-match road span against Orlando City SC and the Columbus Crew, and Martino believes the confidence within his side is only going to help them improve.
“There has been a big difference,” Martino said. “These are the results that we have been searching for now for various games, and we are finally able to get them.
“Each game, we feel like we’re close. This will help us. It’s good for the team’s belief in what we are doing and the process that we want to follow.
“But also, we have to understand what it means and not let it feel like it’s so important at this early stage of the season.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Atlanta – Aleksey Miranchuk
Miranchuk scored his fifth goal of the season in Atlanta’s 10th league match of the year, a win over Toronto.
The only players in Atlanta’s history to score six or more goals in the club’s first 11 matches of a regular season are Josef Martinez (eight) and Miguel Almiron (six), both in 2018.
Montreal – Prince Owusu
Owusu scored the only goal in Montreal’s win over NYCFC, his sixth goal of the season.
Since the beginning of June 2025, he has scored 15 of Montreal’s 35 regular-season goals, while Dante Sealy (seven) is the only other player with more than three in that time.
MATCH PREDICTION: ATLANTA WIN
Atlanta have won six of eight (75.0%) regular-season home matches against Montreal (D1 L1), their second-highest home winning percentage against an eastern team [87.5% (7/8) vs. CHI]. The only eastern opponent Montreal has lost a higher percentage of their away games against is the New York Red Bulls (76.5% –13/17).
The Five Stripes have also lost only one of 18 regular-season home matches against Canadian teams (W11 D6), averaging 2.17 points per match. The only active team to average more points per match at home against Canadian teams is NYRB (2.27 – W32 D6 L7).
Montreal, meanwhile, have posted back-to-back wins for the first time since a three-match winning streak between September and October 2024, including a win over NYCFC. The last time Montreal kept consecutive clean sheets in all competitions was also during the same run in 2024.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Atlanta – 43.6%
Draw – 26.8%
Montreal – 29.7%
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