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Meanwhile, Montreal (5-16-9) — the worst home team in MLS with just 11 points in 15 games — is back in the Eastern Conference’s basement, one point behind D.C. United.

“The details are really important at this level, especially when we face a team that really came here to play open,” said Montreal interim head coach Marco Donadel. “There are so many situations where we were close to scoring and reopening the game, but the end, we didn’t.”

Montreal opened the game as the dominant side, controlling the tempo and looking to strike first, but could not provide the final touch. This has been par for the course during the season, as the club has ranked amongst the worst-finishing sides in the league.

Montreal’s lack of finish would once again come back to haunt them as St. Louis opened the scoring against the run of play in the 11th minute. Joao Klauss’ shot was deflected, the ball fell to Wallem who took advantage of an inattentive defence to slot home a shot from close range.

After the goal, Montreal struggled to find their footing, unable to break down the compact midfield block. Instead of their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, sporting an attacking midfielder and two defensive midfielders, Donadel lined his squad up in a 4-3-3, opting instead for three box-to-box players in the engine room.

“Obviously, it can be different, but I still felt like we created chances through counter attacks,” said Matty Longstaff, who played as the furthest-forward midfielder for most of the game. “Especially at the first half, they didn’t create loads. 

“They just had a chance and scored, which in football was the most important thing.”

However, Montreal was able to break down the block just a minute before halftime, leading to their best scoring chance so far. Prince Owusu had a golden opportunity to equalize when he was in alone but was stopped by Roman Burki from just a few feet out.

The second half began in a similar fashion, with Montreal in search of an equalizer, and conceding 10 minutes after the break. Another error in defensive coverage during a counter attack culminated in a point blank shot for Hartel, who slotted the ball past a helpless Jonathan Sirois.

“The sensation was that at one point, we were scared to concede a counterattack. We were not convinced to push and go get the result, and we were like in the middle,” said Donadel. “Something was missing, now we go back to do our job, to try to improve.”

Montreal almost found an immediate reply through their newly acquired designated player Ivan Jaime. After dribbling past his man, Jaime was able to beat Burki, but not the crossbar as the ball went crashing off the woodwork.

That was as close as Montreal would get, spending the final half-hour unsuccessfully probing St. Louis’ low block, apart from a Hennadiy Synchuk goal that was called back for offside.

UP NEXT

Montreal: Will host the New York Red Bulls on Sept. 20.

St. Louis: Will head to San Jose to face the Earthquakes on Sept. 20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2025.