MLS weekend preview: TFC must be wary of last-place Montreal, Sanchez

First, it was Lionel Messi. Then, it was Robert Lewandowski.

Now, a third major name in international football from the past 20 years is about to grace BMO Field with his presence this season when star forward Alexis Sánchez and CF Montreal take on Toronto FC on Saturday.

Montreal made major headlines when it signed Sánchez to a free agent contract in August. It was a bold move by a desperate club who currently sits in last place in the Eastern Conference (second last in the league) and is tied for the third worst attacking record in MLS (just 34 goals in 27 games).

Sánchez, Chile’s all-time top scorer, arrived in Montreal with a very impressive resume, having scored 198 goals during an 18-year spell with a number of high-profile European clubs, including Arsenal and FC Barcelona.

But he was coming off three rather anonymous seasons in Europe in which he scored eight goals combined for Inter Milan, Udinese and Valencia. At 37, Sánchez has also slowed down a bit, and he has yet to make any kind of substantive impact in MLS. The Chilean legend is without a goal or an assist in his eight appearances for Montreal and has been limited to just one shot on target.

One reason behind Sánchez’s lack of production is because he’s been deployed in a much deeper role as a No. 10 playmaker, rather than as an outright striker or winger. He also didn’t have the benefit of any kind of training camp with his new team and was instead thrown into the deep end of the pool straight away and had to either sink or swim.

Sánchez and his teammates haven’t always been on the same attacking wavelength as well, according to Elias Grigoriadis, co-host of The Ball is Round Montreal podcast that covers the MLS team.

“He sees the space, but it doesn't mean everyone else does, right? He has the quality to make a play. But it doesn't mean everyone else does. So, it's almost like everyone is trying to catch up to him,” Grigoriadis opined.

Despite Sánchez’s early struggles in MLS, Toronto coach Robin Fraser insists he still poses a dangerous threat.

Fraser was an assistant coach with the New York Red Bulls when aging stars Thierry Henry and Juan Pablo Ángel were at the club, and he remembers how they still managed to have an impact on the pitch.

“I'm sure [Sánchez is] not the same player he was years ago, but in my experience with older players, the interesting thing when I watch them is that these players find ways to reinvent themselves because you lose a little bit of your athletic dynamic ability. And then all of a sudden, they become very good passers and really good readers of the game,” Fraser said.

“Thierry became one of the best final passers I'd ever seen, and when you think of him, you think of him marauding down the left side, coming in scoring goals, right? And his last couple years [in New York], he was one of the best passers I think I've ever seen. And when I watch Sánchez, I see a lot of the same.”

One TFC player who knows all about Sánchez is defender Benjamin Kuscevic, as the two have played together for Chile’s national team for eight years.

Kuscevic will no doubt be keeping close tabs on his countryman in Saturday’s 401 Derby match which is the second and final meeting of the regular season between the bitter Canadian rivals. They played to a 0-0 draw at Stade Saputo in July.

“Obviously, he's a very important player in the world. He's one of the most important players for our national team,” Kuscevic said.

Elsewhere in MLS this weekend:

• Two of the biggest names in international soccer of the past 20 years go head-to-head on Saturday when the Vancouver Whitecaps visit Los Angeles FC. German icon Thomas Müller recently inked a contract extension with Vancouver, having scored nine goals and tallied eight assists this season. South Korean legend Son Heung-Min has six goals for LAFC in 2026 and is tied with Lionel Messi for a league-leading 13 assists.

• After playing his last game for Argentina mid-week, Lionel Messi returns to action for his MLS club when Inter Miami hosts D.C. United on Saturday. Messi scored on a gorgeous free kick last weekend, but the Herons still came out on the wrong end of a 2-1 road loss to the Columbus Crew. With a league best 21 goals and 13 assists, Messi looks destined to win an unprecedented third consecutive league MVP award.

• After a poor start to the MLS season, St. Louis City has remarkably turned things around thanks to a 17-match unbeaten run in MLS (19 across all competitions). A win or draw in Sunday’s home match vs. the LA Galaxy would allow St. Louis, who hasn’t lost since May 3, to tie the New York Red Bulls’ MLS record for the longest unbeaten streak across all competitions (20 games in 2016).

• Nashville SC continues its march to wrapping up the Supporters’ Shield (regular season champions) when it visits Austin FC on Saturday. Nashville sits in first place with a club-record 60 points and is the only team to have already clinched a playoff berth. With seven games left in the season, it’s attempting to break Inter Miami's single-season MLS points record of 74 set in 2024.

• Teenager Cavan Sullivan has been in fine form for the Philadelphia Union, scoring seven goals and registering nine assists in his last 10 games. The 17-year-old also became the youngest goal scorer in the history of the U.S. men’s team when he scored in his nation’s recent 3-0 win over Mexico. Sullivan will attempt to keep his hot streak going in Saturday’s home match vs. Real Salt Lake.

• FC Dallas sits second in the Western Conference, level with St. Louis and just three points back of front runners Vancouver. Dallas can potentially move into a tie for top spot in the West with a road win over Charlotte FC on Saturday. Dallas is unbeaten in six games with just one loss in its last 10 outings to pull within reach of Vancouver, whose uneven form over the summer has opened up the race for tops in the West.