Columbus Crew SC (0-0-2, 2 pts.) logged its second consecutive shutout in League play as the Black & Gold drew CF Montréal 0-0 on Saturday afternoon from DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The draw marks the second straight nil-nil result for Columbus, while Montréal (1-0-2, 5 pts.) added a third game to their unbeaten start to the season.
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Both teams entered the game with changes to their starting lineups. Montréal tapped in Erik Hurtado to fill in for Mason Toye, who was down with a thigh injury. Montréal also shook up their midfield by starting Amar Sejdic over captain Samuel Piette. The Crew had Bradley Wright-Phillips up top filling in for Gyasi Zardes and Vito Wormgoor made his grand return to the team after missing most of 2020 due to injury.
The Crew had a slow start to the first half, despite holding their fair share of possession. While Montréal had their opportunities on goal to no avail, Columbus did not record a single shot. Clement Diop only broke a sweat off of an opportunity from Wright-Phillips' but the scoring chance was ruled offside.
Montréal were forced to make an injury substitution at the 55th minute after fullback Zachary Brault-Guillard was unable to continue. The Canadian international, who was coming off the back of two straight Team of the Week presented by Audi appearances, stepped off for homegrown play Clement Bayiha.
Nancy and Montréal tried to grab all three points with attacking substitutions. Ahmed Hamdi and Lassi Lappalainen made their club and season debuts, respectively, while Bjørn Johnsen also made a late appearance.
Hamdi especially made his presence felt. The Egyptian U-23 international was at the center of Montréal scoring chances late in the game.
Caleb Porter and the Crew thought they poached their way into a late win but their effort was called offside. Once again, Wright-Phillips found the end of a through ball and the back of the net but his effort was yet another unrecorded shot.
The Crew return to action on Wednesday, May 5 at CF Monterrey in Leg Two of the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals, which both sides tied 2-2 on aggregate, though Monterrey holds the advantage with two road goals scored. Kickoff for that match is slated for 8 p.m. ET on FS2 and TUDN.
*Note: this editorial was provided by MLSsoccer.com and edited by ColumbusCrewSC.com
