Venue and kickoff:
ScottsMiracle-Gro Field
96 Columbus Crew Way, Columbus, OH 43215.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Broadcast on Apple TV (MLS Season Pass).
Weather forecast for Columbus (evening): Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms (around 40–50% chance, mainly afternoon into evening). Highs near 79°F during the day; evening temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60s°F. Southwest/west winds 5–10 mph. Conditions should be playable but monitor for possible light rain or storms later.
Injury reports
Columbus Crew: Wessam Abou Ali (knee, Out), Sekou Bangoura (ankle, Out), Jamal Thiare (lower leg, Out).
CF Montréal: Frankie Amaya (lower body, Out), Wiki Carmona / Wikelman Carmona (lower body, Out), Josh-Duc Nteziryayo (lower body, Out), Bode Hidalgo (lower body, Out), Efrain Morales (lower body, Out). Alexis Sánchez is expected to be in the squad and likely to see minutes (debut-related, not injury).
Current key roster notes
Columbus Crew (interim coach Laurent Courtois): GK Patrick Schulte; defenders Sean Zawadzki, Rudy Camacho / Cesar Ruvalcaba, Steven Moreira, Malte Amundsen, Mohamed Farsi, Brooks Lennon; midfielders Dániel Gazdag, Dylan Chambost, Hugo Picard (or related), André Gomes, Taha Habroune, Tarun Karumanchi, Lautaro Giaccone; attackers Chase Adams and others (key forwards Abou Ali and Thiare out). Gazdag is a primary creative/scoring threat.
CF Montréal (coach Philippe Eullaffroy): GK Thomas Gillier (or Sebastian Breza); defenders Brayan Ceballos, Jalen Neal, Brayan Vera, Luca Petrasso, Dawid Bugaj; midfielders Victor Loturi, Daniel Pereira / Dani Pereira, Matty Longstaff, Fabian Herbers, Samuel Piette, Hennadiy / Gennadiy Synchuk; attackers Prince-Osei Owusu (team-leading ~10–11 goals), Noah Streit, Daniel Ríos, and potential minutes for Alexis Sánchez. Depth is impacted by the injury list.
Key player vs. player matchups:
Dániel Gazdag / creative midfield (Crew) vs. Montréal’s midfield and back line (Loturi/Pereira/Vera/Ceballos): Gazdag’s chance creation and goal threat against a Montréal side missing key pieces; Columbus’s home possession edge (often ~60%+) will test Montréal’s organization.
Prince-Osei Owusu (Montréal) vs. Crew defense (Zawadzki/Camacho/Amundsen) and Schulte: Owusu is Montréal’s clear primary outlet (~11 goals, strong shot volume). Columbus must limit service to him, especially with Abou Ali and Thiare unavailable for the home attack.
Wing/transition play: Picard/Farsi/Lennon (Crew) vs. Petrasso and Montréal’s wide options; both teams generate chances but Columbus has been more clinical at home in stretches.
Goalkeeping: Schulte’s experience vs. Gillier’s shot-stopping in a potential lower-to-mid scoring game.
Recent team forms:
Columbus Crew: Mixed but competitive. Recent MLS result included a 3-1 loss at Charlotte; stronger in Leagues Cup (wins over Atlas, Pachuca; advance). Overall form has them in the lower half of the East but still mathematically in the playoff conversation. Home form at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field provides an edge. They average solid possession and create chances.
CF Montréal: Struggling, on a long winless run in league play (recent results include 1-1 draws vs. D.C. United and New England, losses to Inter Miami and Nashville). Away form is particularly poor. They generate shots but convert less efficiently and concede frequently. Prince Owusu remains the focal point.
Series history: Columbus holds the historical edge. Recent meetings include a 1-1 draw (May 2025 at Montréal), 2-1 Crew win (April 2025 at Columbus), 3-1 Crew win (May 2024), and 0-0 (April 2024). Columbus has generally dominated the rivalry in recent years, with several wins and draws; high-scoring games occur but many are tighter. This is the first meeting of the 2026 season (return fixture later in September).
Betting trends
Trends favor the home side given Montréal’s away struggles, injury lists, and Columbus’s possession/creation advantages. Both teams to score is possible but not overwhelming given recent defensive issues and missing attackers.
rutlandherald.com
This is a mid-to-lower Eastern Conference matchup with playoff implications more realistic for Columbus. The Crew are favored to take the three points at home against a Montréal side reliant on Owusu and dealing with several absences. Expect a competitive but Columbus-leaning contest.
MATCH ODDS
CF Montreal Impact + 340
Columbus Crew SC – 155
Draw + 310
Over 2.5 – 165 Under 2.5 + 130
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, August 18, 2026
