MLS | Five jobs for CF Montréal

Last October, CF Montreal’s assessment day, The Press headlined: “A dead season under the rare theme of continuity”. We have to admit that we were in the field.

Yes, head coach Laurent Courtois remained in post, which remains a salient fact in the context of the Bleu-blanc-noir. But everything else has changed, starting with the departure of 12 players out of the 30 members of the squad.

Which creates many holes in the alignment. The new CFM sports structure has, so to speak, work to do. What are the club’s main needs between now and the start of the next campaign in February 2025? Here are, in our opinion, the top five.

First need:
hire a skilled attacker

At the end of the season, Josef Martínez was the only attacker in Montreal’s eleven to hit the target with regularity. His departure leaves a gaping hole on this portion of the field. Sunusi Ibrahim, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint and Matías Cóccaro are still under contract with Montreal, but none of them have yet demonstrated they have the stature to handle that workload.

With the departure of Martínez as well as the end of the contract of Lassi Lappalainen and Victor Wanyama, the CFM payroll is freeing up very large chunks. Gabriel Gervais assured that this money will be used “diligently”, of course, but he also underlined the need to find a gunner to replace the 13 goals (season and series included) of the Venezuelan.

Will we go for one of these famous designated players? It’s not impossible, but don’t hold your breath. In a capsule appended to this text, we explain the model that CF Montreal has chosen to build its squad.

This decision will dictate how the CFM will recruit this winter, while seeking to meet the needs dictated by Laurent Courtois’ style of play.

“We have specific, tactical and physical profiles [qui répondront à] the way the coach wants to play, underlined Gabriel Gervais last week. We have more flexibility on the budget side, with the departure of more senior employees. »

Caden Clark will remain the offensive cornerstone of this team. Currently, we have the impression that the salvation of the CFM in 2025 will live and die with the attacker that his team will recruit to come and support the American.

Second need:
reinforcements in defense

“We can’t allow 64 goals in a season and hope to have success,” said the president of the CFM last Thursday, adding that “it’s no secret that we want to improve our defense.”

Result: its walls need to be rebuilt, while it only has three defenders left under contract for 2025. They are Fernando Álvarez, Joel Waterman and George Campbell. The latter should obtain their tenure in the three-man defense of Montreal’s eleven next year, but they still need understudies.

Not to mention that Courtois needs options. He asks the backs to be mobile, to be involved in the game. Gabriele Corbo and Joaquín Sosa have packed up. Now at least two defenders will have to take their place.

Third need:
prepare for post-Saliba

The CFM wants to establish itself as a springboard for young players to achieve their dreams of playing in Europe. The one who best embodies this potential, currently, is Nathan Saliba.

Certainly, the Impact expects its midfield gem to “be there at training camp.” This is what Gervais responded to our question about a potential departure of the Quebecer this offseason. On the other hand, will he finish the 2025 campaign in Montreal colors, knowing that the most important European transfer window takes place in the summer?

Before even thinking about the inevitable transfer of this Academy product, he needs a substitute. At the moment, no one else at the CFM has his number 8 profile, that is to say a central midfielder who bridges the gap between defense and attack.

The variable here is Alessandro Biello. We have still seen very little of the 18-year-old midfielder in the pros, although he spent the last season with the first team. Mauro’s son only played a total of 33 minutes in MLS and the Canadian Championship in 2024. Will we trust him a little more next year?

Fourth need:
consistency in attacking midfield

Bryce Duke and Dominic Iankov are, in theory, the attacking midfielders of this team. But the first has often been publicly criticized by his coach for his inconstancy. One match he was brilliant, the other he became invisible. The second gradually disappeared from the Montreal scene through disappointing performances and injuries.

Officially, Caden Clark is a midfielder. But he was definitely used as an attacker who tended to move towards the left wing at the end of the season.

Too often, last year, the Montreal link was cut before the ball even reached the feet of its attackers, most of whom already lacked confidence.

This is why we are careful with our words: it would do CF Montreal a world of good if it managed to recruit a major number 10, creatively consistent, capable of making the difference in a match, a bit like Ignacio Piatti did. Or even, to another extent, Djordje Mihailovic.

Fifth need:
versatility on the sides

The piston positions are essential to the success of the Montreal style of play. With Raheem Edwards gone, that leaves plenty of room for Tom Pearce to maraud down the left lane.

While the Englishman is a much better offensive asset than Edwards for his coach, he still has a lot of work to do to improve defensively. Despite his lethal left paw and his effectiveness on crosses, his defensive skills will dictate his use as a starter or not next year.

Either way, there is a need for depth at left back: Pearce is the only player remaining in the squad who played with regularity in this position last year.

It’s a little better stocked on the right, with Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty ahead of Dawid Bugaj in the hierarchy. Both are young, that said, and remain projects in development.