CF Montréal Edge Columbus 2-1 as Streit’s Strike Seals a Much-Needed Road Win

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For long stretches of the season, CF Montréal have looked like a team searching for answers. On Wednesday night at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, they finally found a result that mattered.

A 2-1 victory over Columbus Crew ended a long winless run in MLS and gave the club a small but meaningful boost in the Eastern Conference standings. It was not always pretty. It was not always controlled. But it was three points — and for a side sitting near the bottom of the table, that was enough.

Early Lead, Familiar Fragility

Montréal started with purpose. Just five minutes in, Prince Osei Owusu opened the scoring, giving the visitors a dream start on the road. The early goal settled the team and forced Columbus to chase the game.

That advantage did not last.

In the 20th minute, the night took a strange turn. Montréal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier, under little pressure after a back pass, mishit the ball and turned it into his own net. The equalizer was soft, unexpected, and completely avoidable. Suddenly, a promising away performance was level again.

Columbus pushed. Montréal absorbed pressure. The game became tighter, more physical, and less open. Both sides created moments, but neither could find a decisive second-half breakthrough until late.

Streit Changes Everything

With the match drifting toward a draw, Noah Streit produced the moment of quality Montréal had been missing.

In the 78th minute, the young midfielder drove forward and unleashed a powerful strike from distance. The shot left the Columbus goalkeeper with no chance. 1-2. The visitors had the lead again — and this time, they would not give it back.

It was the kind of goal that changes the mood of a dressing room. Streit had given Montréal belief. The late strike also pushed the club to 20 points and kept them within touching distance of the play-in places, four points behind D.C. United with games still to play.

For Columbus, it was another frustrating home result. For Montréal, it was validation that the season is not over.

Watch: Highlights & Final Score

Final Score: Columbus Crew 1–2 CF Montréal

• 5′ — Prince Osei Owusu (Montréal)
• 20′ — Thomas Gillier (own goal)
• 78′ — Noah Streit (Montréal)

A Brief First Look at Alexis Sánchez

There was one more subplot on the night.

In the 79th minute, just after Streit’s winner, Alexis Sánchez entered the pitch for the first time in a CF Montréal shirt. Wearing the No. 10, the Chilean Designated Player replaced Owusu and completed the final stretch of the match.

It was a carefully managed debut. Sánchez had only trained with his new teammates for a few days and had gone months without competitive minutes. In roughly 11 to 15 minutes on the field, he showed intent — organizing, demanding the ball, trying to set the tempo — but there was never enough time for him to influence the result.

That was never the expectation. This was about getting him on the pitch, introducing him to the intensity of MLS, and starting the process of building match fitness.

The headlines will still mention his name. The three points, however, belonged to Owusu, Streit, and a Montréal side that finally found a way to win again.

Next up is a home match against LA Galaxy on Saturday at Stade Saputo. By then, Sánchez may be closer to a larger role. For one night in Columbus, though, the story was simpler: Montréal needed a win — and they got it.