MONTREAL — Hernán Losada's first stint as a Major League Soccer head coach lasted just over one season, a tenure characterized by a contentious relationship between the coach and his bosses at D.C. United.
With Losada now charged with taking the reins at CF Montreal, sporting director Olivier Renard is confident the Argentine and the club's brain trust are on the same page.
“If we weren’t in agreement, he wouldn’t be here right now,” Renard said Thursday at a press conference to introduce Losada.
CF Montreal announced Wednesday that the 40-year-old Losada was the man tasked with filling the void left by the surprise departure of coach of the year candidate Wilfried Nancy to the Columbus Crew. Losada signed a two-year contract with an option for a third.
"Thank you everyone for welcoming me here, I’m thrilled to be here and really motivated to have some great moments at the club," Losada said.
Having played professionally in Belgium and his native Argentina, Losada began coaching duties at Beerschot in the Belgian second division where he eventually led them to promotion to the country’s top flight. He then joined D.C. United for the 2021 MLS campaign, narrowly missing a playoff spot in his first year before being fired after a 2-4-1 start to the 2022 season.
One of the main sources of tension between Losada and United's front office was the club's perceived unwilling to spend on international players. That's an attitude he has had to put aside in order to see eye-to-eye with Renard.
“It’s also important to remember that a transfer sum doesn’t equate to quality and someone with a big price tag could end up playing worse than someone who came here for free," Renard said.
Losada’s management style — he's known as one of the strictest coaches in MLS — has also been subject to controversy. He had an uncompromising approach to the squad’s diet at United and fined players for being as much as three pounds overweight during bi-weekly weigh-ins.
Renard said weigh-ins are standard practice at the European clubs that should be considered as a benchmark in order for CF Montreal to move forward.
Montreal's development will hinge on the improvement of homegrown players, something club takes a lot of pride in and Losada is enthusiastic about.
“Montreal is known for developing young talent and giving opportunities to their youth academy players which is something I find very important,” said Losada. “This is the club’s philosophy and it’s an important element of the game that I’m excited to be a part of.”
With Montreal’s success last season — the club was second in the Eastern Conference and posted a franchise-best 65 points — came interest from European clubs that has seen the departure of key figures including Nancy and top players Djordje Mihailovic, Alistair Johnston and Ismael Koné.
There will be some growing pains for a young squad and a growing coach. However, the club says Losada will be given time prove he’s right for the job.
"The average is about two years for a coach in this league, and that’s obviously an average we want to beat,” said team president Gabriel Gervais. "We, as a club, have a rich history and have been around even longer than MLS, so when we have people that want to be here that like our city and our project, they have a place here."
Losada will now begin preparations for the 2023 season, with training camp expected to begin in early January.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2022.
Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press
