Atlanta United strive to build on a promising run of form when they face visiting CF Montreal on Saturday night.

Atlanta (2-7-1, 7 points) enters the match just one step above last place in the MLS Eastern Conference standings. But it is on a two-game winning streak across all competitions, which includes Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Charlotte FC in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.

The past two games have provided a much-needed respite for a club that struggled significantly to open the season.

“We want soccer that fans find exciting, that wins games and (makes) opponents (not) want to come and play us,” Atlanta midfielder Will Reilly said. “I don’t think we’re anywhere near how we want to be playing, but we’re in the right direction now.”

CF Montreal (3-6-0, 9 points) have a little wind in their sails after winning their first two matches under interim head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. After a 4-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on April 17, it topped New York City FC 1-0 on April 25 behind Prince Owusu’s team-high sixth goal of the season.

“We have a lot of belief in the squad we have right now, not only our starting 11, but the depth we have,” Montreal defender Jalen Neal said. “We’re all on the same page with our tactics. So, yeah, we’re looking like a team that can fire on a lot of cylinders right now.”

Atlanta United are looking to end a four-match home winless streak (0-3-1). Montreal is 1-5-0 on the road and has dropped its last three away from Stade Saputo.

Alexey Miranchuk, who leads Atlanta with six goals across all competitions, has found the net in back-to-back matches. Owusu has two goals and two assists in his last two matches.

Miguel Almiron (knee) is questionable for Saturday, per Atlanta head coach Tata Martino.

–Field Level Media

The New England Revolution will aim to climb up the Eastern Conference standings in a pivotal home match against contenders Charlotte FC on Saturday evening in Foxborough, Mass.

New England (5-3-1, 16 points) has burst out of the gate this season, claiming fourth in its conference thanks to a five-game unbeaten streak. The Revolution have one of the most dynamic offenses in the league, powered by midfielder Carles Gil (two goals, three assists) and Peyton Miller (three goals).

New England holds a perfect league record at home (4-0-0). Keeping that momentum against a dangerous conference rival will be crucial for midfielder Brooklyn Raines and the Revs.

“We are on a home winning streak, so I think it’s important that we remain humble, but we still want to go and win every game possible at home,” Raines told the media before Saturday’s game. “It’s just about the small things that we do, and having the right mentality of respecting our opponent, but, at the same time, wanting to dominate.”

The Revs will miss midfielders Matt Polster and attacker Leonardo Campana with injuries.

Charlotte FC (4-4-2, 14 points) are mired in a three-game losing streak across all competitions, the latest one a 2-0 U.S. Open Cup loss to Atlanta United. Charlotte’s leaky defense has cost it points; the club hasn’t won a clean sheet in its last six league games.

“You don’t enjoy the wins as long as you should,” coach Dean Smith said, speaking on Charlotte’s latest skid. “You feel the losses longer. But, you win a game, and you think about the next game and how to win that next game. I never get too high and never get too low.”

Key to Charlotte FC’s success on Saturday night will be the playmaking of Pep Biel.

Biel has scored five goals and added four assists in just 10 league games, including a three-game goal contribution streak. They’ll need his presence in the final third to leapfrog the Revs in the Eastern Conference standings for fourth place.

–Field Level Media

Despite a pair of losses, Minnesota United coach Cameron Knowles is optimistic about grabbing a historic win at the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Minnesota United seek their first win in Columbus since joining the league in 2017, but due to quirks in the schedule they have played there only twice — losses in 2018 and 2020 — and have not played in the Crew’s current stadium since it opened in 2021.

The Loons (5-3-2, 17 points) had a four-match MLS winning streak snapped in a 1-0 loss to Los Angeles FC on April 25, followed by a 4-2 defeat in the U.S. Open Cup at San Jose on Tuesday despite leading the Earthquakes 2-1 in the second half.

It so happens San Jose and LAFC are ranked first and fourth, respectively, in the overall league standings and Knowles sees positives despite the setbacks.

“The guys can take a lot a pride in knowing we can compete against any team in this league anywhere,” he said. “We should take so much confidence in our ability to go into some really difficult environments and to play difficult teams and know that we can compete against all of them.”

While the Crew (3-4-3, 12 points) don’t match the quality of San Jose or LAFC in terms of points, they have finally found their footing under first-year coach Henrik Rydstrom with two consecutive wins in MLS play and a 5-1-1 record in their past seven matches in all competitions.

They are getting results despite losing leading scorer Wessam Abou Ali (five goals) to a season-ending knee injury April 12.

Rydstrom is looking for midfielder Hugo Picard to be among those contributing. Picard had two goals apiece in Open Cup wins against lower-tier clubs Richmond and Knoxville this season but has yet to score in 18 career MLS matches.

“What I really like is that he challenges his opponent,” Rydstrom said. “He missed some situations in the beginning (against Knoxville), but he just keeps going. For him, now it’s to take that step into the MLS because he’s so good, he can do it no matter the opponent.”

The match will be a homecoming for Minnesota’s Wil Trapp. The Columbus native played for the Crew from 2013 to 2019 and was the captain his final three seasons.

–Field Level Media