Seattle Sounders host CF Montréal this Saturday, October 17, 2026, in Matchday 31 of the Major League Soccer (MLS, the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) regular season. Kick-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local stadium time) at Lumen Field in Seattle, with live streaming coverage in the United States on Apple TV.
The match marks the only regular-season meeting between the two clubs in 2026, a season in which the 30 MLS teams play 34 games and the top seven in each conference qualify directly for the Round One Best-of-3 Series playoffs, while the eighth and ninth-placed sides contest the Wild Card. Seattle Sounders sit seventh in the Western Conference with 41 points from 29 games (11 wins, eight draws and 10 losses), holding the league’s fourth-best defense with 36 goals conceded, 38 scored and a +2 goal difference. After starting the campaign with seven wins, three draws and one loss in 11 matches and later enduring a franchise-worst eight-game losing streak, Seattle put together a nine-match unbeaten run (five straight draws followed by four consecutive wins) before losing 1-0 away to FC Dallas on Wednesday (14). CF Montréal occupy 15th and last place in the Eastern Conference (29th overall) with 24 points in 29 matches (six wins, six draws and 17 losses, with 59 goals conceded, a -24 goal difference, and 35 goals scored, tied with Sporting Kansas City for the worst attack in MLS). The Canadian side has collected four points over its last nine games and comes off a 3-0 home defeat to Atlanta United on Wednesday (14). In the most recent clash between the clubs, played on April 6, 2024, at Lumen Field, Seattle Sounders defeated CF Montréal 5-0.
Where to watch Seattle Sounders vs CF Montréal live
Viewers in the United States can watch the Matchday 31 encounter exclusively via streaming.
- Apple TV (streaming)
Kick-off time and venue for Seattle Sounders vs CF Montréal
- Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
- Time: 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local time at the stadium, America/Los_Angeles)
- Venue: Lumen Field, in Seattle
- Competition: MLS — Major League Soccer (Matchday 31)
Read also: San Jose Earthquakes vs Nashville SC: where to watch live, kick-off time and lineups (MLS, Oct 17)
Seattle Sounders projected lineup
Head coach Brian Schmetzer, who is in his 10th full season in charge of the club in 2026, is expected to field Seattle Sounders in a 4-2-3-1 formation with: Andrew Thomas; Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Stuart Hawkins, Jackson Ragen and Yeimar Gómez Andrade (or Nouhou Tolo); Snyder Brunell (or Hassani Dotson) and Cristian Roldan; Sebastian Gomez, Albert Rusnák and Paul Arriola; Dejan Joveljić.
According to the official MLS Player Status Report for Matchday 31, Seattle Sounders have three confirmed injury absences and one player listed as questionable, with no suspended players and no official list of players one yellow card away from suspension disclosed:
- Pedro de la Vega: out (quadriceps injury)
- Nikola Petković: out (knee injury)
- Paul Rothrock: out (hamstring injury)
- Nouhou Tolo: questionable (hand fracture suffered against FC Dallas)
Ahead of the fixture, Schmetzer addressed the team’s mid-season slump: “There’s no time left in the year to rest on your laurels. We’ve had to claw ourselves out of an eight-game losing streak, which is recent enough history that everybody remembers.” If midfielder and team captain Cristian Roldan starts on Saturday (17), he will reach 300 regular-season MLS starts for Seattle Sounders, becoming the second player in franchise history and the first outfield player to hit the milestone alongside goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
CF Montréal projected lineup
French caretaker manager Philippe Eullaffroy has led CF Montréal since April 12, 2026, following the dismissal of Marco Donadel, and had his interim mandate confirmed through the end of the 2026 season in June. Managing director of recruitment and sporting methodology Luca Saputo stated at the time: “Over this period of transition, he has provided stability, added structure, and instilled a competitive mindset within the group. After discussions with Philippe, we have extended his caretaker manager mandate through the end of this season.”
Also operating in a 4-2-3-1 setup, CF Montréal’s projected starting eleven features: Sebastian Breza; Dawid Bugaj, Jalen Neal, Brandan Craig and Luca Petrasso; Matty Longstaff and Daniel Pereira; Wikelman Carmona, Alexis Sánchez and Noah Streit; Daniel Ríos. Chilean forward Alexis Sánchez, who joined the club in the summer transfer window of 2026, has yet to record a goal or an assist through his first 10 MLS appearances.
Defender Brayan Vera returns to the squad after serving a one-match automatic suspension for yellow card accumulation, leaving the team with no suspended players and no disclosed list of players nearing suspension. However, CF Montréal have five players ruled out by injury in the official league report:
- Brayan Ceballos: out (lower-body injury suffered on Saturday (10) against FC Cincinnati; expected to miss the remainder of the season)
- Thomas Gillier: out (upper-body injury; sidelined since August 29)
- Bode Hidalgo: out (lower-body injury)
- Prince Owusu: out (lower-body injury; the team’s top scorer in the 2026 MLS season with 15 goals)
- Dante Sealy: out (lower-body injury)
Read also: LA Galaxy vs San Diego FC: where to watch live, kick-off time and lineups (MLS, Oct 17)
Refereeing team for Seattle Sounders vs CF Montréal
The Professional Referee Organization (PRO, the body responsible for managing professional soccer match officials in the United States and Canada) assigned the following crew for the game at Lumen Field:
- Referee: Fotis Bazakos (PRO / United States)
- Assistant Referee 1 (AR1): Felisha Mariscal
- Assistant Referee 2 (AR2): Kevin Lock
- Fourth Official: Ricardo Fierro
- Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Ismir Pekmic
- Assistant VAR (AVAR): Kathryn Nesbitt
Head-to-head record and next schedule for CF Montréal and Seattle Sounders
Across the last 10 meetings between the franchises, CF Montréal hold six wins, Seattle Sounders have three victories, and one match ended in a draw. In the most recent encounter on April 6, 2024, Seattle won 5-0 at Lumen Field with two first-half goals from Raúl Ruidíaz and second-half strikes by Jordan Morris, Alex Roldan and Dylan Teves, in a game where Montréal’s Nathan Saliba was sent off in the 53rd minute.
Following Saturday’s match, CF Montréal may rotate their squad as they prepare to host Forge FC on Wednesday (21) in the final of the Canadian Championship, Canada’s premier domestic cup tournament.
