Football Season Guide

2025 was statistically one of the worst in CF Montreal’s history, but they go into the new season with a surprising sense of optimism. After sneaking into the play-offs in 2024, Laurent Courtois remained in charge but was soon sacked after failing to win any of the first five games of the new season. That run extended to eleven matches under interim-manager Marco Donadel before they finally got a victory under their belt. In truth, results didn’t improve a lot over the course of the campaign. The club even wrote an open letter to supporters admitting their failings and promising a rebuild. Wins remained mostly elusive, but the performances were much more spirited. As a former player at the club, Donadel seemed to know how to motivate the team and connect more with the fanbase. A solid run of just three defeats in their final ten games of the season saw the Quebecers avoid finishing bottom of the Eastern Conference. The biggest success story on the pitch in 2025 was Prince Owusu. The striker was roundly criticised for his finishing and even booed at times by the home supporters at Stade Saputo, only for him to end the season as the club’s top scorer and most important player. CFM often ended up relying too heavily on Owusu for goals, without many others chipping in. The club have looked to address that by bringing in experienced striker Daniel Rios, after he played a solid supporting act role in Vancouver Whitecaps’ run to the MLS Cup final last season. The biggest loss in the transfer market was Dante Sealy – CFM’s most productive attacker behind Owusu. Wiki Carmona joins with five seasons of MLS experience but has never matched the output of Sealy, whilst Noah Streit arrives from Switzerland as more of an unknown quantity. Montreal do already have some exiting young attackers on the roster like Hennadiy Synchuk and Olger Escobar who was named Young Player of the Tournament at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. Montreal are no longer primarily relying on youth and their main focus seems to have been to shore up a defence that conceded 60 goals last season. Tomás Avilés, Brayan Vera and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson all arrive with plenty of MLS experience. The midfield is filled with workhorses like captain Samuel Piette, Matty Longstaff and Victor Loturi but could perhaps do with some more flair. A lot of the creative burden will be placed on Iván Jaime - the club’s only Designated Player – but he has struggled to stay fit consistently in recent times. The club upgraded Donadel from interim-manager to permanent head coach and he will now look to build on the promising performances at the end of last season with efficiency in terms of results.