It looks like CF Montréal may have their own head coach. It was reported on January 4 that Laurent Courtois, the Columbus Crew 2 head coach, has been linked to Canada with Montreal. He is likely to become CF Montréal’s next head coach.
Reasons for Choosing Laurent Courtois as Head Coach
BREAKING: CF Montréal is finalizing a deal to name Laurent Courtois their next head coach, per sources.
Courtois has been head coach of hugely successful Columbus Crew 2nd team. Won inaugural 2022 MLS Next Pro title, made the final again this year. https://t.co/jdkS3sKdDJ
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) January 4, 2024
According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic, Courtois will soon be head coach with MLS in Montreal and make his mark at Saputo Stadium/Stade Saputo. Courtois had two very successful seasons as head coach with the Columbus Crew 2. In his first season, he won the championship with the side and in his second season was runner-up. Some key players that helped Columbus win the MLS Cup last year, which included Patrick Schulte and Mohamed Farsi. Also, other players like Jacen Russell-Rowe and Sean Zawadzki were two other players that played a role in their championship run.
The Crew 2 head coach, helped with Schulte’s development in 2022, as stated by Zawadzki in regards to Courtois (source: Brianna Mac Kay of the Columbus Telegraph):
“Last year, Laurent asked him to do a lot of crazy things as a goalie,” Zawadzki said. “So, while this year is kind of dialed back a little bit, you still have tremendous confidence in him because of what he went through last year in terms of the way Laurent wanted him to play. So, I think he’s capable of doing a lot of different things and allows us to be who we are.”
His eye of developing players and making them champions with both MLS NEXT PRO and MLS is something CF Montréal will need from their new head coach.
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Bogert from the Athletic also revealed that former Pacific FC coach, 2021 North Star Shield champion, and current assistant coach of Charlotte FC, Pa-Modou Kah was a finalist in the head coach chase for CF Montréal.
CF Montréal Has a Young Roster
De Montréal au Qatar! 👊🇨🇦
Six joueurs du Club sélectionnés par @CanadaSoccerFR pour la Coupe du monde 2022 >>> https://t.co/yB2J8myWOy
Six CF Montréal players selected by #CANMNT for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar >>> https://t.co/B9FQvrcXnn#CFMTL pic.twitter.com/4RN6ILqWFI
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) November 13, 2022
When looking at CF Montréal’s roster, only one player is older than 30 years old. Montreal recently has a reputation of developing players. This was shown in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where the CanMNT had six CF Montréal players on the team. This was the same Montreal team that finished with the third best record in MLS in 2022.
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Some of these players have moved to notable clubs in Europe as Ismaël Koné went to Watford and Alistair Johnston went to Celtic F.C. Even players who stayed in MLS won trophies like with Kamal Miller, who won the Leagues Cup in 2023 with Inter Miami CF.
Courtois is the ideal coach for Montreal, someone who can develop these players into a real threat in MLS. It will take some time though to develop these players. The team representing the second most populous city in Canada did not make the playoffs last year, but it had to do with the many departures of the organization before the 2023 MLS season began.
CF Montréal and What Their Future Looks Like
When looking at their future, it is important to make the right choices. Their former head coach in 2022, Wilfried Nancy, ended up winning the 2023 MLS Cup with the Columbus Crew SC. They also strangely enough fired Hernán Losada after just one year at the job. Still, there are signs that are encouraging as Montreal just missed out on the MLS Cup Playoffs despite having so much turnover in their roster. The main thing though is that if Courtois is the right person for the job, they must find a way to keep him long-term.
It is also important to note that there are some additions to the professional sports world in Montreal world recently. Montreal now has two professional basketball teams with the CEBL’s Montreal Alliance, and the BSL’s Montreal Tundra. There is also the PWHL Montreal team, which has gained more traction than previous Montreal women’s ice hockey teams. This is something CF Montréal and the organization should be aware of as it is no longer just the big three with the Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Alouettes anymore.
Photo Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports, of a Laurent Courtois Headshot, on October 22, 2023.
