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CF Montreal has parted ways with head coach Laurent Courtois following a disappointing start to the Major League Soccer season.
The decision was announced on Monday, just two days after the team recorded a 3-0 loss against Nashville SC, leaving Montreal with a record of 0-4-1. Marco Donadel, an assistant coach, has been appointed as the interim head coach.
In a brief statement, the club expressed gratitude to Courtois for his contributions while noting that Montreal currently sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, with a goal differential of minus-seven—the poorest in the league. The team has yet to secure a victory this season, with its last goal scored during an opening match against Atlanta United on February 22, which ended in a 3-2 defeat.
Montreal has faced a particularly challenging start, embarking on a stretch of seven consecutive road games. Their next match is scheduled for Saturday against Chicago Fire, marking one of the final games before their home opener against Charlotte FC on April 12.
In addition to the pressures of a challenging schedule, Courtois had to manage the absence of several key players. Notably, designated player Giacomo Vrioni and prominent offseason signing Jalen Neal have both been sidelined due to injuries.
The coaching role at CF Montreal has seen considerable turnover, with Courtois becoming the club’s tenth head coach since its entry into MLS in 2012. He was appointed on January 9, 2024, succeeding Hernan Losada, and came to the club after two seasons at the helm of Columbus Crew 2, the reserve team for MLS’s Columbus Crew.
During Courtois’s first season, Montreal experienced a surprising early exit in the Canadian Championship, losing in the quarterfinals to the underdog Forge FC, as well as facing challenges in the Leagues Cup. Nevertheless, he managed to guide the team to the MLS Eastern Conference wild-card round, where they were defeated at home by Atlanta, despite operating with one of the lowest payrolls in the league.
This offseason saw significant changes within the organization, with a restructuring of the front office, a complete revamp of the coaching staff, and the departure of numerous players.
At the start of the training camp in January, CF Montreal president and CEO Gabriel Gervais indicated that Courtois was instrumental in selecting new players and staff, including Donadel, who had expressed interest in a coaching position prior to Courtois’s hiring. Gervais had high expectations for Courtois as he entered his second season, signaling a desire for improved consistency and defensive performance compared to the previous year.
Donadel, who played as a midfielder for Montreal from 2015 to 2018, transitioned to coaching in 2018 with ACF Fiorentina’s youth academy. He later served as an assistant for Fiorentina’s first team and continued his coaching career in Russia with FC Spartak Moscow before taking the reins at Serie C club US Ancona in 2023.
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globalnews.ca