CF Montreal appoints Courtois as head coach
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CF Montreal has appointed Laurent Courtois as head coach, it was announced Monday.
The team fired Hernan Losada at the conclusion of the 2023 season.
Courtois, 45, had served as manager of the Columbus Crew's MLS Next Pro side, Columbus Crew 2, leading them to a championship in 2022 and this past season's final. He also has academy coaching experience at both Columbus and boyhood club Lyon.
"We are very pleased with Laurent's appointment today," said CF Montréal vice president and chief sporting officer Olivier Renard in a news release. "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. 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.”
“I'm honoured to be joining the Club and embarking on this new adventure in Montreal," said Courtois in the same release. "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."
As a player, the Lyon native had a 17-year pro career with stops in Ligue 1 with Toulouse, the Premier League with West Ham and La Liga with Levante. A midfielder, Courtois also spent three seasons in MLS with Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy.
Former Vancouver Whitecaps defender and current Charlotte FC assistant manager Pa-Modou Kah was a finalist for the job, Bogert notes.
Courtois becomes the club's seventh manager since 2017.