The Montreal Impact is ready for their 2015 home opener, but the match-up isn't the most favorable. Orlando City SC, MLS newcomers, is making their first trip to Canada as an MLS club.

Montreal has earned a single point in the 2015 season so far which came in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution.  They gave a great showing in the opening week against DC United, but were unable to come away with points.  The highlight for Montreal so far is their 2-0 lead in the CONCACAF Champions League Semifinal series. 

Orlando City currently sits at third in the Eastern Conference on a win, a loss, and a draw, but they were just seconds away from a second draw last week.  Vancouver's Octavio Rivero flicked a header into the goal in the 96th minute to hand Orlando their first loss of the season. An opening game draw against New York City FC was followed by a win in Houston at hands of Tyler Deric's own goal.

Match Facts

Olympic Stadium, the larger of Montreal's two stadiums, will host the match. Orlando City are led by Ricardo Kaka and he should bring enough hype to the game to expect a larger crowd.

Ted Unkel will officiate the match with Claudio Badea and Richard Gamache working the sidelines as his assistants.  Silviu Petresu has been called in as the fourth official.

Team Absences

Hassoun Camara will miss this game for Montreal after receiving two yellows cards last weekend against New England. 

It was announced this week that Cameron Porter will miss the remainder of the season for Montreal with an ACL tear. Martin Paterson is also currently unavailable for Orlando with a groin strain.

Both teams have been hit hard by international call-ups this weekend. Laurent Ciman is with the Belgian squad after starting both MLS matches for Montreal. Maxim Tissot started for the Impact last weekend, but is unavailable this week. Romario Williams and Amroise Oyongo have not played yet this season for Montreal, but are also away with their national teams. Orlando is even more devastated by the break than Montreal.  Staring left back Brek Shea is with the USMNT team this weekend. Darwin Ceren, a starting defensive midfielder, is with Slovenia. Rafael Ramos, the right back, is with the Portugal U-20 team along with Estrela. Kevin Molino is the fifth starter that will miss time as he plays for Trinidad and Tobago.  Cyle Larin, a useful sub is with the Canadian national team and Conor Donovan is with the USMNT U-20 squad.

Potential Montreal Lineup

Montreal is missing several key players, but they are not totally devastated by the roster moves.  Ciman's replacement is a big question while Camara's place can be filled by Victor Cabrera. Eric Miller or Wandrille Lefevre will likely get the start in place of the missing Ciman.

Bush
Cabrera - Soumare - Miller - Toia
Donadel - Reo-Coker
Oduro - Piatti - Duka
McInerney

Potential Orlando City Lineup

Orlando will be missing five starters and two subs for this match and their absences will be felt.  The changes make predicting the actual starting eleven nearly impossible.  Goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and superstar Kaka being available is a huge benefit to the team.

Ricketts
St Ledger - Collin - Hines - Boden
Mwanga -Okugo
Rochez - Kaka - Avila
Riberio

Keys to Victory

Montreal: Control the midfield. Montreal has the talent to hold the midfield throughout the game.  With Orlando decimated by absences, Montreal should hold the run of play.

Orlando: Defensive presence. The defense is largely intact despite the call ups. Luke Boden is a rival for Shea's position and St Ledger is versatile enough to fill in for Ramos.  Collin and Hines have done well together and should be able to continue that play.

Match Outlook

With both sides missing players, this game has the potential to be a dull one, but Montreal being at home with fewer players missing should come out and press the game early.  Orlando has been struggling to score which leaves little for Montreal to worry about on the counter.  Orlando's best chance for a result is to play defensive and look for a draw. The defensive style will be hard for Montreal to break down, but the midfield is more than capable.
 

Prediction: Montreal wins 1-0