CF Montreal name Laurent Courtois as head coach
Posted January 8, 2024 3:27 pm.
Last Updated January 8, 2024 3:35 pm.
There’s a new coach in town. CF Montreal announced Monday afternoon that Laurent Courtois would be taking over as the team’s head coach.
The 45-year-old is from Lyon, France, and has previously coached in North America, as the head coach of Columbus Crew’s reserve team.
In his first year with Crew 2, he led the club to becoming regular-season champions, posting a record of 16 wins – 5 draws – 3 losses, before leading the team to the MLS Next Pro playoff title, where they defeated St. Louis City 2 by a score of 4-1.
In 2022, Courtois was named the MLS Next Pro Coach of the Year.
“We are very pleased with Laurent’s appointment today. 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,” said CF Montréal Vice-President and Chief Sporting Officer Olivier Renard.
“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.”
Courtois also previously played in Ligue 1 with Toulouse FC before moving to West Ham in the Premier League.
He also played for FC Istres Ouest Provence, and with Levente UD, before moving to America and playing in the MLS with Chivas USA and LA Galaxy, before he started his coaching career as a player-coach with LA Galaxy II.
“I’m honoured to be joining the Club and embarking on this new adventure in Montreal,” said Laurent Courtois. “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.”
CF Montreal says the rest of their coaching staff will be named at a later date.
