CF Montreal halt scoring drought, earn draw vs. Fire

Dante Sealy scored CF Montreal's first goal since their season opener, helping the visitors earn a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire on a rainy Saturday evening. Philip Zinckernagel's late first-half goal was canceled out by Sealy's second-half marker as the Fire (3-1-2, 11 points) saw their three-match winning streak halted. However, they extended their unbeaten stretch to five matches (3-0-2).

Montreal (0-4-2, 2 points) remained winless but walked off the pitch with a point in its first match under interim head coach Marco Donadel. The club fired Laurent Courtois on Monday after approximately 14 months in charge. Montreal's equalizer came in the 50th minute, as Luca Petrasso's delivery inside the box was met by a half-volley by Sealy as he tied it at 1-1.



It was Sealy's first goal in a Montreal kit, with Caden Clark being credited with a secondary assist. That erased the Fire's opening goal, scored in the 40th minute. Andrew Gutman whipped in a cross to Zinckernagel, whose first-time shot sailed past Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois to make it 1-0.

The Danish forward has scored in back-to-back matches, while Gutman's assist was his second of the season. Jonathan Bamba received a secondary assist as his initial pass started the attack, giving him four helpers this season. Montreal held a wide advantage in shots on goal - 7 to 2 - but Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady finished the night with six saves.

All told, Montreal outshot Chicago 17-6. Sirois wasn't tested as much, making just one save. The Fire were also held to fewer than two goals for the first time this season.

They entered the match with 12, among the top teams in MLS in that category. This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission..