2025-03-30, 03:30 PM - Word count: 603
The S19 season has come to a close, and for the first time in franchise history, Montreal United stands at the top of the standings to claim the SSL Minors Championship! In a season spearheaded by young players and a new captain, the minors affiliate for SFV marched forward to a 12-0-2 season and a dominant finish just a season after a mostly rookie-led group finished in the league’s top half. Let’s look at the team and how they got here:
![[Image: ov2XOoy.png]](https://i.imgur.com/ov2XOoy.png)
Opening day kicked off with a bang, as United took a 4-1 win over Cairo City, and the early success kept going, with wins over Seoul MFC, Athenai, and then an upset win over the defending champion North Shore United. A pair of 1-0 clean sheets kept fans on the edge of their seats, but ultimately FC Kaapstad and Inter London would fall, as would AS Paris in a 5-4 shootout where defenders were nowhere to be found. The perfect season would come to an early end in Match Day 8 though, where Seoul MFC found their revenge in a 1-0 game, leaving Montreal’s forwards wondering just what happened to their vaunted offense.
The scoring would return in force, though, with a pair of 4 goal victories over Cairo City and Athenai, giving Montreal a lead in the standings that was starting to look like a real championship run. North Shore would give them another loss in a tight 3-2 game, but it wouldn’t be enough, as Montreal found win after win to close out the season against Kaapstad, London, and Paris in the final run for victory.
![[Image: g5mt2k1.png]](https://i.imgur.com/g5mt2k1.png)
It’s not every day that you win a game against a Majors team as a Minors team, but despite not advancing to the knockout round, Montreal United found a way to upset CA Buenos Aires and come home from the cup with a 1-1-1 record.
The offensive firepower that led Montreal to glory came from all over the pitch, with four different players scoring 5 or more goals this season. Aleksandr Skovgaard led the team with 8 goals, while the strikers Mei Suzuki and Maggie Sinclair netted 6 each. The right side of the field was particularly heavy on the offense, as winger Sam Volta scored 5 times and fullback Dina Skovgaard gets an honorable mention with 4. Familiar names jump out in the assist leaders, painting a clear picture of Montreal’s desire to drive down the right side, pass inside the box, and then score. Volta and Dina Skovgaard share the assist lead with 7, followed by Clarke (4), Suzuki (3), and Sinclair (3).
On defense, Zoe Clarke led the way with 11 blocks, but it was a complete team effort, with both Skovgaards, King Szarekh, Imjust Ken, Dombrofski Maximiliano and Sam Volta each recording at least 5 this season. Clarke also stood out with the most shots blocked, with 6, and 45 successful tackles, putting her 2nd on the team only to Dina Skovgaard with 47.
Of course, no team is complete without the performance that William Williams gave in net. With a league-best 9 wins, a league-best 4 clean sheets, just 17 goals conceded (2nd), and 33 saves, he was one of the league’s best keepers and a huge part of Montreal’s historic season.
With league expansion underway, it’ll be an even bigger challenge than ever to defend their title, but Montreal United is young, strong, and poised for another great run in S20.
The Schedule:
Opening day kicked off with a bang, as United took a 4-1 win over Cairo City, and the early success kept going, with wins over Seoul MFC, Athenai, and then an upset win over the defending champion North Shore United. A pair of 1-0 clean sheets kept fans on the edge of their seats, but ultimately FC Kaapstad and Inter London would fall, as would AS Paris in a 5-4 shootout where defenders were nowhere to be found. The perfect season would come to an early end in Match Day 8 though, where Seoul MFC found their revenge in a 1-0 game, leaving Montreal’s forwards wondering just what happened to their vaunted offense.
The scoring would return in force, though, with a pair of 4 goal victories over Cairo City and Athenai, giving Montreal a lead in the standings that was starting to look like a real championship run. North Shore would give them another loss in a tight 3-2 game, but it wouldn’t be enough, as Montreal found win after win to close out the season against Kaapstad, London, and Paris in the final run for victory.
The Cup:
It’s not every day that you win a game against a Majors team as a Minors team, but despite not advancing to the knockout round, Montreal United found a way to upset CA Buenos Aires and come home from the cup with a 1-1-1 record.
The Team:
The offensive firepower that led Montreal to glory came from all over the pitch, with four different players scoring 5 or more goals this season. Aleksandr Skovgaard led the team with 8 goals, while the strikers Mei Suzuki and Maggie Sinclair netted 6 each. The right side of the field was particularly heavy on the offense, as winger Sam Volta scored 5 times and fullback Dina Skovgaard gets an honorable mention with 4. Familiar names jump out in the assist leaders, painting a clear picture of Montreal’s desire to drive down the right side, pass inside the box, and then score. Volta and Dina Skovgaard share the assist lead with 7, followed by Clarke (4), Suzuki (3), and Sinclair (3).
On defense, Zoe Clarke led the way with 11 blocks, but it was a complete team effort, with both Skovgaards, King Szarekh, Imjust Ken, Dombrofski Maximiliano and Sam Volta each recording at least 5 this season. Clarke also stood out with the most shots blocked, with 6, and 45 successful tackles, putting her 2nd on the team only to Dina Skovgaard with 47.
Of course, no team is complete without the performance that William Williams gave in net. With a league-best 9 wins, a league-best 4 clean sheets, just 17 goals conceded (2nd), and 33 saves, he was one of the league’s best keepers and a huge part of Montreal’s historic season.
With league expansion underway, it’ll be an even bigger challenge than ever to defend their title, but Montreal United is young, strong, and poised for another great run in S20.
