MONTREAL — Sam Surridge’s 80th-minute header forced CF Montreal to settle for a 1-1 draw against Nashville SC in their final home game of the season on Saturday.
Dante Sealy — who has now scored seven goals in his last nine Major League Soccer games — opened the scoring for Montreal (6-17-10), while Surridge’s equalizer stopped Nashville (16-11-6) from potentially falling into the play-in bracket.
From kickoff, both teams opened up the other with expansive and vertical play. This resulted in excellent chances for both sides as Hany Mukhtar and Ivan Jaime were played in alone, but neither could give their team the opening goal.
Montreal struck first just after the 10-minute mark. After Olger Escobar drew a free kick nearly 25 metres out, Sealy stepped up and — in similar fashion to his free kick goal against Charlotte FC the week before — unleashed a perfect strike into the top right corner.
Following the goal, Montreal dropped into a low block as Nashville controlled more than two-thirds of possession until the half-hour mark but were unable to break down an organized defence.
Just after 30 minutes of play, Montreal thought they had doubled their lead through Prince Owusu, but the Video Assistant Referee deemed the goal offside.
Nashville’s control over the ball continued into the second half as the visitors probed around the outside of Montreal’s low block without much penetration. There were several half-chances, including a header from Surridge that hit the post, but Nashville struggled to sustain the danger.
With 10 minutes left, Nashville finally got their breakthrough when Surridge was able to separate himself from Brendan Craig and convert the free header from point-blank range. Smelling blood in the water, Nashville redoubled their efforts to find a late winner, but both teams left the pitch with a point apiece.
UP NEXT
Montreal: Will visit FC Cincinnati on Saturday, Oct. 18.
Nashville: Will host Inter Miami on Saturday, Oct. 18.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2025.
Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press
