CF Montréal Kicks Off 2026 MLS Season Against San Diego FC

CF Montréal Begins 2026 MLS Campaign Against San Diego FC

Mark your calendars! CF Montréal will launch its 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) season with a challenging away game against San Diego FC this Saturday night. The match will be broadcast live on RDS and RDS.ca, with pre-game coverage starting at 10:00 PM ET.

A New Challenge in the West

This marks the first-ever competitive meeting between CF Montréal and San Diego FC, a team hailing from the Western Conference. For Marco Donadel, it’s his first full season at the helm of the CFM, and he’s eager to make a strong impression. San Diego enjoyed a successful inaugural MLS season in 2025, finishing atop their conference before a semi-final exit. Montréal, however, is aiming for significant improvement after a disappointing 13th-place finish in the Eastern Conference last year – a full 25 points shy of a playoff berth.

San Diego’s Early Season Form

San Diego FC has already begun its 2026 campaign, competing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup against Pumas UNAM of Liga MX. They advanced to the second round with a 4-1 home victory, followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat in Mexico.

Montréal’s Opening Day History

Historically, CF Montréal has struggled in season openers since joining MLS, boasting a record of 5-8-1 with 17 goals scored and 22 conceded. However, the team is hoping to turn the tide with a bolstered defense, featuring players like Brayan Vera, described by colleague Olivier Brett as a “kamikaze” on enemy territory due to his aggressive play.

Donadel’s Vision for the Team

“We want to forge a new identity, but it’s like building a car. You can’t build all the pieces in 40 days. We first need fuel, and for us, the fuel is attitude. It’s the most important thing starting tomorrow and it was during the preseason,” Donadel emphasized during a press conference in San Diego. “It’s about putting your body on the line, the intensity, the desire to show individual talent. We know our car isn’t perfect right now, and we need to work to be perfect, but with the right fuel, we think we can do well.”

Preseason Preparations

The Bleu-blanc-noir spent the last seven weeks training in Spain and Florida, participating in several friendly matches. Highlights included a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution on February 7th, a 4-2 win against the Philadelphia Union despite playing a man down for 20 minutes on February 10th, and a 2-2 draw against the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL on Valentine’s Day.

Donadel on Player Evaluation

“I’m happy that we scored in different ways. I really used all the minutes to evaluate players in different positions. In the last games, I also changed five players’ positions to see how they can respond to difficulties. The important thing for me is to see players willing to do everything possible to win. The technical and tactical aspects are important, but they are not the most important,” Donadel added.

Stay tuned to RDS and RDS.ca for full coverage of the CF Montréal vs. San Diego FC match!