MONTREAL – Jalen Neal was living a waking dream. Born in Los Angeles, modeled at the LA Galaxy academy, the young defender had carved out a starting position within his favorite team. A few months after celebrating his 21st birthday, he was helping this team celebrate winning a championship. He did it in front of the people who are most dear to him, his parents, his two brothers and his sister.
But barely had the effects of the champagne worn off when he was traded to the other end of the continent, in a cold and snowy land, to a club which, in terms of budget and ambitions, does not play on the same ground as the Galaxy.
Stunned, the young man? On the contrary. This is exactly what he was looking for.
“It was difficult to leave,” admitted the new CF Montreal defender Tuesday by videoconference. But my whole life, it’s something I knew I would have to do to advance my career. This is the first step on this journey for me. I’m stepping out of my comfort zone. »
Neal was in a familiar and safe environment in Los Angeles. That doesn’t mean he had it easy.
In 2023, as he came out of his shell with his first professional minutes and important missions with the American national team, his rise was hampered by a hernia which required two surgeries. Once recovered, he quickly regained the trust of coach Greg Vanney. But towards the end of the 2024 season, he lost his position to a newcomer, Colombian Emiro Garcés. It was mainly from the bench that he experienced the Galaxy’s star-studded journey to their triumph in the MLS Cup final.
The humility with which he looks back on this episode, which cannot be interpreted other than as a great disappointment, gives credibility to all the documentation circulating on his subject. We talk about him as a young person who doesn’t look his age, whose feet are firmly anchored on dry land. “He is impressive, astonishingly mature and calm,” his new trainer Laurent Courtois has already remarked. Very sure of himself too, without being excessive. »
Still, this outcome probably precipitated Neal’s arrival at this intersection that he knew was inevitable.
“The most important thing for a young player is to get minutes. This is how you can climb the ladder. It’s by playing, by beating the best players, that you gain the most rewarding experience. That’s where I was. And when I spoke with the leaders and coaches of Montreal, I loved what I heard. »
-Ambition and versatility
Like Koné, Mihailovic, Johnston and Choinière did before him, Jalen Neal wants to use Montreal as a springboard to Europe. But he is aware that his personal projects go hand in hand with those of a winning team. With the Impact, he believes he is in a position to receive as much as he believes he is able to give. In other words, he wants to keep winning and believes he’s in the right place to do so.
“The plan that was shared with me is that of a club which has big objectives, big aspirations. It’s with a team like that that I want to play. »
Neal’s arrival during the off-season coincided with the departure of Gabriele Corbo. Despite a promising start to the season and some successful assignments at key moments last year, the Italian was never able to earn Courtois’ trust over an extended period. The young Fernando Álvarez took the opportunity to make a significant hierarchical leap in the squad.
The acquisition of Neal should logically endanger Álvarez or George Campbell on Joel Waterman’s flanks in CF Montreal’s three-way defense. The Californian is a right-hander who has mainly been used in the center of a four-man defense both in MLS and with the American national team.
“With the Galaxy, we often transitioned to a three-man defense as soon as we gained possession of the ball. It was the same thing when I played with the reserves, so in attack, I would say that I am very comfortable in this system, Neal nuance. Defensively, I happened to find myself in situations where we were defending with three or five, depending on the context. I have experience in different training courses and so I don’t foresee that it will complicate my adaptation here. »
Courtois, who has preached the virtues of versatility since his arrival in Montreal, says he recognizes this quality in his new student.
“We think he has the ability to play in several positions and in several formations and therefore that we will be able to highlight his individual qualities in the service of the collective. There is nothing more than that to analyze. We think we have one of the most interesting young central defenders in the country, quite simply. »
