CF Montreal appoint Laurent Courtois as new head coach

CF Montreal have appointed former Columbus Crew 2 boss Laurent Courtois as the club's new permanent head coach.

Courtois joins the Canadian side after a highly successful two years with the Crew's second team in MLS Next Pro. In 2022, Courtois led Crew 2 to a first place finish in MLS Next Pro, amassing 55 points from 24 games played, scoring 62 goals and conceding just 22 times.

Crew 2 also posted a 16W-5D-3L record in 2022 under Courtois that saw them capture the MLS Next Pro championship 4-1 over St Louis CITY 2. Courtois' Crew 2 featured now first team shot-stopper Patrick Schulte, who took home Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2022 and was present in the Best XI.

"We are very pleased with Laurent's appointment today. Over the past few years, Laurent has accumulated a wealth of coaching experience that demonstrates his ability to implement our sporting project with young players in MLS," Montreal vice president and chief sporting officer Olivier Renard said in a release.

"We are confident that he will be able to replicate his past success with our club's core team and young talent, while helping us to achieve our objectives by reviving a desire to win both at home and on the road throughout the season. In addition to his knowledge of the league, he possesses leadership, communication and teaching skills."

Although Crew 2 didn't win a second straight MLS Next Pro title in 2023, Courtois' side still enjoyed a solid campaign. His team finished in fifth place in the league standings with 54 points and made it back to the final, but they came up short against Austin FC 2 3-1.

"I'm honoured to be joining the club and embarking on this new adventure in Montreal," said Courtois.

"I'm very proud of this responsibility. I'm looking forward to working with everyone at the club and contributing to the team's success. I want to continue the development work begun with our young players, while offering a dynamic style of play and emotions to the fans." 

Before taking on various coaching jobs in the youth setup with Columbus, Courtois' playing career saw him take on stints with Chivas USA, LA Galaxy, AC Ajaccio, Toulouse FC, as well as West Ham United.

Courtois inherits a Montreal side that finished just outside of a postseason spot in 2023 in Hernan Losada's one year in charge, following Wilfried Nancy guiding the Canadian club to a second place finish in the Eastern Conference table in 2022. Courtois will be eager to work with the likes of Mathieu Choiniere and Kwadwo Opoku to propel the team back up the table in the 2024 campaign.

READ THE LATEST MLS NEWS, QUOTES & TRANSFER RUMOURS HERE