After what seemed to be a positive year for CF Montréal in 2024, the expectation was for the club to build on their MLS playoff appearance last season, however, they started the season flat.

Head Coach Laurent Courtois was fired after five games & Assistant Coach Marco Donadel was named the interim head coach in March.

It took Montréal 13 games to see their first win. They were put into a hole that was very difficult to climb out of & they had no chance of recovery.

This squad ranked 24th in expected goals scored & 19th in expected goals against. Just across the board not good enough.

With the winter approaching & their roster decisions published, Montréal will have a lot of roster flexibility. In the offseason guide:

The Positives

Prince Owusu was a fantastic acquisition from Toronto FC in January. For just $225,000, the club signed Owusu to a two-year contract with an option for a third year & the forward did not disappoint. With 18 goal contributions (13 goals & 5 assists), Owusu was essentially Montréal’s entire attack. 

With Prince Owusu & Dante Sealy (11 goal contributions – 9 goals & 2 assists) running their attack, Montréal had a lot of positives in their attack.

With Donadel at the helm, it will be imperative to surround the forward pairing with players that will look to feed the hungry forwards. 

This group is entering the offseason with 24 players rostered & have the ability to monumentally update the roster.

With the forward frame work of Prince Owusu, Dante Sealy, Pavel Bucha, Kwadwo Opoku along with young upcoming talents such as Hennadiy Synchuk, Jalen Neal, & Olger Escobar, the group has a lot of positives and can only build positively.

The Negatives

Other than Owusu & Sealy, this team struggled to score goals. The club picked up Giacomo Vrioni from New England Revolution for only $50,000 in an attempt to re-ignite a fire underneath the DP forward that scored 20 goals in the Austrian topflight just three years ago, however, Vrioni struggled yet again. With only 3 goals in MLS this season, it was no shock that his option was not exercised at the end of the season.

Montréal interestingly improved defensively as they allowed 4 less goals [in comparison to last season], however, the defense still needs a lot of work.

My biggest concern for this team is their midfield & backline.

Roster Flexibility

CF Montréal enters this offseason with good flexibility. At the moment, the club has one designated player (Ivan Jaime – who is currently on loan from FC Porto) and have 2 U-22 initiative signings (Jalen Neal & Hennadii Synchuk). This club can decide whether or not it wants to enter the 3DP, 3U22 player model or enter the 2DP and 4 U-22s model, which includes up to $2 million in GAM, pending which route they go.

The club announced their end-of-season roster update, where they announced most contract option decisions. The club is entering the 2026 season with 24 players rostered. 

This leaves Luca & Simone Saputo along with Gabriel Gervais to enter this offseason directly with Marco Donadel to improve the roster. This roster doesn’t need a lot of tweaks, however, they do need to make a handful of improvements if they wish to return to the MLS Cup Playoffs. This team is nowhere near close to contending for a trophy, however, they can start the process to move this team back to the playoffs as long as they find assets to grow this young team.

Offseason Priorities

Montréal should enter the 3DP & 3U22 model and look to sign two designated players.

If the group can go out and acquire two more DP midfielders [to pair with Ivan Jaime), a solid winger [to pair with Prince Owusu & Dante Sealy], & a solid center back [to pair with Jalen Neal], this team could very easily be back in the playoffs. 

More help in the midfield & backline is my biggest concern for this group.