MLS Preview: CF Montréal

Hooligan Soccer

·4 February 2025

MLS Preview: CF Montréal

Club History

The club was founded in 1992 as the Montreal Impact. They spent 20 years playing in various North American lower division soccer leagues such as the APSL (American Professional Soccer League), A-League, USL First Division, NASL (North American Soccer League), etc. In 2010, the MLS announced that Montréal would become its 19th franchise, and the third from Canada, starting in 2012.

Manager Jesse Marsch was hired to build the team roster in preparation for the inaugural season, but only lasted through the 2012 season. The club has a history of burning through managers at an alarming pace. Mauro Biello lasted the longest, seeing 93 games over two years. He and one other manager, Arsenal-legend Thierry Henry, are the only ones to have winning records with the club.

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The current team crest

In 2021, Montréal rebranded as Club de Foot (CF), abandoning the Impact moniker. Supporters were not pleased; protests were held outside the stadium and the club’s largest ultra group, UM02, was banned from attending games in September of that year. Faced with continued resistance, and declining ticket sales, the management backtracked the rebranding in favor of the new crest, which harkens back to the old branding.

Ownership

Giuseppe “Joey” Saputo, scion to the Montreal-based Saputo, Inc. dairy conglomerate, is the sole owner of the club. The family is of Sicilian descent, having immigrated to Canada in the early ‘50s.

Notable Players

Ignacio Piatti (Argentina) Winger The club’s top scorer (66 goals) and playmaker (35 assists) in over 135 appearances between 2014-19.
Didier Drogba (Côte d’Ivoire) Striker Former Chelsea forward and Ivorian team captain. Played for the club in 2015-16, generating 30 goal contributions (23G, 7A) in 41 games.
Patrice Bernier (Canada) Midfielder A former youth player with Montreal Impact, he rejoined the team in 2012 when they joined the MLS. Was captain of the team until his retirement in 2017.
Samuel Piette (Canada) Defensive midfielder Holds the club record for number of appearances: 186. He is still active.
Cameron Porter Club legend despite only playing in two games for the Impact. His winning goal in stoppage time of the 2014-15 CONCACAF Cup quarterfinals is still celebrated. His career was ended by a serious knee injury a month later and he retired from the game at 24.

Other Facts

(Source)

Their home field is Saputo Stadium (capacity 19,600), but they also use the neighboring Olympic Stadium (capacity 61,000) when a larger venue is required.
Have qualified for the postseason six times. Their best postseason performance was in 2016, when they lost to Toronto FC in the Eastern Conference finals.
Advanced to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League in 2015, losing to Club América 4-2 on aggregate.
Competes in the annual domestic Canadian Championship, which they have won five times They are ineligible for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
Their crest incorporates a fleur-de-lis, which symbolizes French heritage (and is prominent on the Québec regional flag).
Have a heated rivalry with Toronto FC, known as the Canadian Classique or the 401 Derby (the two cities are linked by highway #401).

2024 Performance

11W – 10D – 13L with 43 points. Finished 8th (of 12) in the Eastern Conference and 17th overall.
Were eliminated during the wild card “play-in” match by Atlanta United.
Released or declined to renew contracts for 13 players at the conclusion of the season, forcing significant rebuilding.

Who to Watch in 2025

Giacomo Vrioni (Albania) Forward Coming in to fill Montréal’s first Designated Player slot of 2025, Vrioni spent the last three years at New England Revolution. He was that team’s highest goal contributor in 2024, with 12 goals and 3 assists in all competitions.
Caden Clark (United States) Attacking Midfielder An August 2024 transfer from Minnesota United, Clark had an impressive 6 goal contributions (4G, 2A) in nine games for Montréal last season
Prince Osei Owusu (Germany) Forward A savvy signing by Montréal who picked him up after his former club Toronto FC declined to extend his contract (there’s nothing quite like nabbing a threat from your arch-rivals and adding him to your own arsenal). Owusu’s 12 goals in all comps led Toronto last season.

First Game

Saturday, February 22 visiting Atlanta United FC is a rematch of the 2024 MLS Cup Eastern Conference wild card game.

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