Mohamed Farsi Scores in His Hometown as Columbus Crew Beat CF Montréal 2-0 for First MLS Road Win Since April

Montréal is Mohamed Farsi's hometown, per the Crew. On Saturday night at Stade Saputo, he scored there as a visitor, and he could barely find the words. "Never in my life, I thought I would come back home here and score a goal," the Columbus Crew right back said afterward.

His 57th-minute strike broke a stubborn deadlock, Brais Méndez added a long-range free kick in the 68th, and the Crew beat CF Montréal 2-0. Patrick Schulte kept a clean sheet, and Columbus earned its first MLS road win since a 3-1 victory at Atlanta on April 4, all of three days after a midweek U.S. Open Cup win that sent the club to the final.

Woodwork and Frustration

Columbus nearly scored inside six minutes. Méndez slid a through ball to Santiago Rodríguez, whose right-footed shot from the right side of the box hit the right post, and Anass Zaroury's follow-up was blocked. Méndez had his own effort blocked two minutes later.

Montréal settled after that and grew into the half. Prince Owusu forced Schulte into a save at the bottom right corner in the 20th minute, then had two shots from the middle of the box blocked in the 35th and 36th. Columbus kept firing from distance, with Rodríguez, Zaroury and André Gomes all trying their luck between the 22nd and 28th minutes without success.

It was a scrappy first half, with yellow cards for Brayan Ceballos in the second minute and Steven Moreira in the 32nd, and it ended 0-0.

Farsi's Homecoming

The hosts came out of the break with intent. Hennadii Synchuk just missed the top right corner in the 49th minute, and Owusu had another shot blocked in the 51st. But the opener went the other way.

In the 57th minute, Sean Zawadzki won the ball with a tackle in midfield, per the Crew, and Columbus broke. Zawadzki found Farsi on the right side of the box, and Farsi drove a low right-footed shot across Sébastian Breza and into the bottom left corner. Per the club, it was his second goal of the season.

"Great night tonight for all of us. Three points away. 2-0, clean sheet," Farsi said. "So very happy for the group."

Montréal thought it had answered three minutes later when Owusu found the net, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review, with ESPN's feed logging Fabian Herbers offside on the play.

Méndez Fools Everybody

Montréal answered with a double change, sending on Dante Sealy and Wiki Carmona in the 63rd minute. Five minutes later, it did not matter.

Columbus won a free kick at long range in the 68th minute. Méndez looked like he was setting up a cross. He was not. He placed a left-footed shot into the top left corner, as far from Breza as he could get it.

"I knew that the goalkeeper thought that I was going to cross the ball, I knew I could catch him by surprise," Méndez explained. Per the Crew, it was his third MLS goal, and since his debut on Aug. 1 he has a goal contribution in nine of 14 appearances across all competitions.

The rest of the night was Columbus managing the game. Schulte saved from Sealy in the 75th minute, Breza stopped substitute Gonzalo Tapia in the 76th, and Montréal's late pressure produced more blocked shots and offside flags than chances.

The Players Who Mattered

Farsi was the story. One shot, one goal, in front of family and friends, and MLS put him in its Team of the Matchday starting XI.

Méndez was the conductor. He set up the chance that hit the post, scored the clincher and finished with four shots. "Big things will come; I am sure of it," he said, and on this evidence he believes it.

Schulte needed only two saves, but the Crew noted it was his fifth clean sheet of the season and his 25th career regular-season shutout, tying him with Jon Busch and Eloy Room for second-most in club history.

For Montréal, Owusu was the most active attacker with five shots, but only one reached the target.

The Turning Point

Zawadzki's tackle in midfield. Montréal had more of the ball and was pushing for the opener, and one won duel flipped the field. Courtois, the Crew's interim head coach and a former CF Montréal coach, put it simply: "It was just a matter of playing together. This is what they did tonight."

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Montréal had 54.6 percent and still lost.
• Shots: Columbus 13, Montréal 9. On target, it was 3 to 2.
• Fouls: Montréal committed 20 to Columbus' 11.
• Offsides: Montréal was caught 5 times, Columbus never.
• Interceptions: Columbus made 14 to Montréal's 7.

What It Means

Columbus moved to 7-5-14 with 26 points and snapped a two-match league losing streak after defeats to D.C. United and the Red Bulls. Courtois acknowledged the road drought had been a talking point. "Yes, it's something that I'm being reminded often, and it's just a fact," he said. The Crew host Inter Miami next, then the U.S. Open Cup final against St. Louis CITY SC on Oct. 21.

Montréal fell to 5-6-15 with 21 points and has now lost five league matches in a row, a run that started with a 7-1 defeat at Inter Miami. It was a sour return for a team that had beaten Columbus 2-1 on the road on Aug. 19. FC Cincinnati visits Stade Saputo on Sept. 26.

Closing Take

Every hometown kid dreams of this script: come back, score in front of your people, leave with three points. Farsi lived it. For Montréal, the sequel keeps getting worse, and the credits cannot roll fast enough on this losing streak.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and club notes as reported by columbuscrew.com. Additional notes from cfmontreal.com and mlssoccer.com.