“I always had confidence in him,” team CEO Gabriel Gervais says.
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Laurent Courtois has become the focal point of CF Montréal’s development project, and the 46-year-old head coach will have the opportunity to continue the work he started.
After a roller-coaster season, during which the Bleu-blanc-noir managed to sneak into the Eastern Conference playoffs, Courtois received assurances he would maintain his position in 2025.
“I’ll be there. I am very happy,” Courtois said during the club’s end-of-season review at the Nutrilait Centre on Friday. “We were already doing things to get the team in a better direction, with or without me. The project is here for at least next year, and I hope for more.”
After two consecutive losses in August, at the hands of the New England Revolution and FC Cincinnati, the Montrealers were only one point away from last position in the East.
Despite the team’s difficulties, CEO Gabriel Gervais never thought of dismissing Courtois, a sign of a longer-term vision of things.
“I always had confidence in him,” Gervais said. “Between winning and losing, yes, winning is important, but those are more the things we try to do. It’s also the person he is and who he wants to become that is important. Does he represent our club well? These are things that I look at beyond victories and defeats.”
The players also trusted Courtois during the season, especially in recent weeks. Showing a record of 5-1-1 in their last seven outings, CFM turned the tide to crown their rise in the standings with a playoff game on home soil.
“We have full confidence in Laurent and his staff, with the work they have done,” insisted defender Joel Waterman. “Even when we were in a bad streak, we saw the style of football we want to play as a team. We saw our strengths at the end of the season. It will be exciting to see what we can accomplish next year.”
This time, the message was clear. Gervais favoured stability and the players will be able to start again on the same foundation in 2025.
“It’s huge. We need this continuity. All the staff did a colossal job despite difficult times. They managed to make things work and they found solutions. We have laid good foundations and these are interesting things to start on again next year,” captain Samuel Piette said.
Courtois’s contribution seemed to be felt on the pitch during the last six weeks of the season. Players like Bryce Duke, Caden Clark, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty and Nathan Saliba, among others, have had a big impact on the club’s success and they are expected to get an even bigger role moving forward.
“I dare say most players are better. Otherwise, I think I’ve been successful with our staff in guiding them on the things they need to improve on to have a career,” Courtois said.