“We want to win a trophy this season” – Gabriel Gervais

The president and CEO of CF Montreal, Gabriel Gervais, clearly expressed his ambition for the coming season on Friday, on the eve of the opening of his team’s camp: to win a title.

Whether in the Canadian Championship, Leagues Cup or at the Cup MLSthe objective is to win a trophy.

By winning a title, we will return to the CONCACAF Champions League [Confédération de football d’Amérique du Nord, d’Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes]a competition that is part of our DNA and to which we aspire since our last participation in 2022.

The club president also expects clear progress from his head coach, Laurent Courtois.

I expect a lot more from him compared to last year. This is his second year with the club, he knows the players, the city, the fans and the organization better. I want him to bring more consistency. Last year we were too inconsistentGervais remarked.

The team’s training camp begins Saturday and home will be fullas Gervais mentioned.

With around twenty players already under contract, others from the Academy – including a certain Jesse Saputo – as well as guest players and athletes from the NCAAthere should be around thirty of them.

Notable acquisitions include midfielder Michael Adedokun, selected by CF Montreal 13th overall in the 2025 draft. MLS. This young athlete, originally from Nigeria, was crowned player of the year in NCAA in 2024, after an exceptional season with the University Ohio Statemarked by 11 goals and 11 assists.

He is very efficient in one-on-one and creative. I think he can surprise us during training camp. We see huge potential in him.

The president of CF Montreal also underlined the importance of intensifying the search for talent in the NCAA.

There’s some real talent there. We want to recruit quality local players and establish strong relationships with American universities. This was a priority that we did not sufficiently exploit in the pasthe stressed.

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In addition to Adedokun, another acquisition particularly attracted attention, that of Jalen Neala young central defender who has just won the Cup MLS with the Galaxy of Los Angeles and who was part of the league’s U-22 all-stars two years in a row.

I was surprised to see it still available. He is a very promising defenderindicated Gervais.

The president also discussed the possibility of adding depth to the attack. CF Montreal loaned Matias Coccaro to Atlas FC in Mexico and let Josef Martinez leave before acquiring a designated player, Giacomo Vrioni.

We are looking to improve the team, and we still have room to maneuver which we intend to exploit. If there is a great opportunity, we will seize itsaid Gervais.

CF Montreal players will undergo their medical and physical tests this weekend in Montreal before flying to Tampa, Florida on Monday, where they will train until January 25. They will then return to Montreal to continue their preparation until February 4, before settling in the Orlando area until February 21.

CF Montreal will play four preparatory matches during this camp. Laurent Courtois’ men will face FC Cincinnati in Clearwater on January 24. The other three matches will be held on February 8, 14 and 15, against teams and locations that have not yet been announced.

CF Montreal will kick off its season on February 22 against Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.