CF Montreal defender Jalen Neal (2) runs on the field during an MLS soccer match against the Chicago Fire FC, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)

By The Canadian Press

CF Montréal braces for Messi-less Inter Miami on Saturday

Jul 24, 2026 | 11:43 AM

MONTREAL — Lionel Messi and his legion of fans grab most of the attention any time Inter Miami CF plays on the road.

On Saturday, CF Montréal could benefit from hosting the Major League Soccer club without its superstar captain.

Messi and Argentine teammate Rodrigo De Paul are both taking time off after reaching the World Cup final, leaving a significant gap on and off the field.

The 39-year-old Messi visited Stade Saputo in 2024 and 2025 as fans draped in pink Miami jerseys overwhelmed CF Montréal’s blue, white and black colours.

“Well, if the best player in the world is not playing against you, I think it’s a good thing,” said interim Montreal head coach Philippe Eullaffroy.

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The only downside, Eullaffroy added, is that Montreal (4-9-3) has little game tape of Miami (10-2-4) without Messi under new coach Guillermo Hoyos. Miami also signed Brazilian midfielder Casemiro this week.

“We don’t really know what type of team we’re going to have in front of us. Still, Messi or no Messi, Casemiro or no Casemiro,” Eullaffroy said. “They are a very good team, and they won (3-2 on Wednesday against Chicago Fire FC) without them, so they have good momentum.”

Miami’s visit comes at a challenging stretch in the schedule, with Montreal returning from a three-week World Cup break. Montreal was welcomed back with a two-legged Canadian Championship tie, a rivalry match against Toronto FC, and now three consecutive games against Eastern Conference heavyweights.

Between fixture congestion and a glaring lack of offensive punch, an already thin squad is being pushed to its limit.

Montreal lost 1-0 to Nashville SC on Wednesday, leaving the club with very little time to rest and prepare for Miami.

“It’s not easy to manage. It’s also a nice thing to play a lot of games, but for a team like us, we don’t have 30 players in our roster and then we need to prepare the games maybe more than the other teams because collectively we need to be very, very, very good,” said Eullaffroy. “When you’re playing a lot of games like that, you don’t really have time to prepare the games well. So, preparing for the Miami game is going to be one practice, and then that’s it.”

Now starting a three-game homestand, Montreal will have to lean on one of the most reliable elements since Eullaffroy became interim head coach: their home form. In the eight games at Stade Saputo, Eullaffroy’s men have lost just once and won five times, scoring 16 goals across all competitions.

Montreal sits only four points outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture despite its historically poor start to the season. The playoff race has historically been chaotic as teams often drop points when fixture congestion and fatigue set in.

“I think a lot of the players had had a collective idea of we want to make Saputo a fortress. We want to make it difficult for teams to come here and get points, even if that’s one point,” said defender Jalen Neal. “Obviously, we expect three points every time we’re playing at Saputo.”

Between injuries and departures, Montreal’s squad is dangerously thin heading into Saturday’s game. The club has brought in midfielder Dani Pereira from Austin FC and defender Brayan Ceballos from the New England Revolution — acquired Friday — during the summer transfer window.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2026.

Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press