CF Montréal (1-8-5) were looking for their second win of the season in their match with the Columbus Crew (7-1-5) Wednesday at Stade Saputo. Le CFM took a 1-0 lead in the first half, but the Crew’s Jacen Russell-Rowe tied the score in the 82nd minute to record the Black & Gold’s fifth draw of the season.

Luca Petrasso scored Montréal’s goal in the 29th minute with an assist going to Prince Owusu. Russell-Rowe took advantage of a misplay by Montréal goalkeeper, Jonathan Sirois, who came out beyond the top of the box on a slide to clear a backpass that ended up with Russell-Rowe kicking it between two defenders into an open net. 

Russell-Rowe described the play, “I just see a back pass, and it was kind of behind the center back [Jalen Neal], he didn’t go for it. And the goalie [Sirois], he’s coming out, but there’s a lot of open space, and just to meet him to the ball, I know that if I get a good deflection, 50/50, off this, then there’s nobody in the net. And I was fortunate that the ball kind of bounced up on my body. I just had to put it away.”

With the draw, the Crew find themselves tied with Philadelphia in second place in the MLS’s Eastern Conference. Both teams trail first-place Cincinnati by two points. The Crew host the Orange and Blue Saturday at Lower.com Field beginning at 7:15 p.m. On Wednesday, Cincinnati won at Toronto, 1-0.

Notes:

• According to head coach Wilfried Nancy after the match, usual starters Diego Rossi and Sean Zawadzki were on the bench simply for rest in a week with two matches.

• Crew 2’s Tristan Brown received a call-up on a short-term agreement for Wednesday’s match. Entering at 80’, Brown registered his second MLS appearance after becoming the second-youngest Crew player to make his MLS debut (17 years, 156 days) against NYCFC (March 22).

• With tonight’s draw against Montréal, Nancy remains unbeaten (4-0-2) against his former club.