Laurent Courtois is already seeing progress within his CF Montreal squad just over two weeks into his tenure as head coach.
“They're way in advance on stuff that we've experimented together,” Courtois said over a video call Friday. “I was really impressed in a good way.”
Courtois was hired as head coach of Montreal's Major League Soccer team Jan. 8 after two seasons as head coach of Columbus Crew 2. He replaced Hernan Losada, who was fired on Nov. 9 after Montreal missed the playoffs.
Despite some positive early impressions, the 45-year-old from Lyon, France, sees a lot of areas that can improve to help the team avoid missing the post-season for a second consecutive season.
“Defensively and individual attitudes (we) can be so much better,” he said. “Once we're on the same page about those individual and collective actions of the game, I told them they have all the tools, in my opinion, to be a complete team even though we're going to be young, even though we're going to play risky soccer.
“We don't care, they have all the tools in their hands to be really competitive and hopefully I can help them to unleash that."
The club has spent the first two weeks of training camp in sunny Tuscon, Ariz., while a mix of cold spells and freezing rain hit Montreal.
Courtois’s men play their first pre-season game on Saturday night against Minnesota United FC at Kino Sports Complex.
Montreal, which made Courtois its 10th coach since the club entered MLS in 2012, sought someone who would introduce an exciting style of soccer and develop its young players.
The club’s 36 goals last season ranked tied for fourth-last in MLS.
Kwadwo (Mahala) Opoku is someone who could make a jump on offence as a 22-year-old forward. He joins Sunusi Ibrahim (21), Chinonso Offor (23), Mason Toye (25) and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint (21) in Montreal’s youthful current attacking group.
Acquired from LAFC in July, Opoku scored four goals and added an assist in 12 MLS games for Montreal last season.
Courtois expects big things from Opoku if he can learn to work better within the team’s system.
"Spectacular, he's my lefty,” Courtois said of Opoku. “We need to find a way to get him more involved with playing in trios, I would say, more than ... just me with the ball.
“But he has qualities that you can't teach, he has heart that few have. So I'm already learning a lot from him and I hope he takes a few of my tips so he can become a really, really interesting player."
Opoku says those tips include working on tactics and impacting the team “in a group,” something he admits he needs to improve.
“I'm lacking on that one,” he said. "Coach is really helping me with that, which is really amazing. And I can see a lot of improvement going on."
While some players, such as Canadian international midfielder Mathieu Choinière, broke out under Losada, others fell out of favour.
That includes designated player Victor Wanyama — a 32-year-old Kenyan with 154 English Premier League appearances. He started once and came on as a substitute twice in the final nine games as Montreal struggled down the stretch.
Courtois, meanwhile, says he’s been impressed with Wanyama’s professionalism and humility, despite his accolades.
"He has been coached by Mauricio Pochettino and José Mourinho, but he is so generous and kind to me … I wouldn't have been like that at his age if Pochettino and Mourinho had coached me,” Courtois, a former player, said. “He is so professional off the field as well. It's a beautiful lesson in humility that he gives me."
CF Montreal returns home Sunday to train until Feb. 4 before returning on the road and finishing its pre-season in Florida. Montreal then begins its season at Orlando SC on Feb. 24. The home opener at Stade Saputo isn’t until April 13 against FC Cincinnati.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2024.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
