CF Montreal’s corridors are essential to its success. Now it has completely revamped them before the final stretch of the season.
Following the departure of right-back Ruan, the Bleu-blanc-noir announced on Wednesday that they had exchanged his counterpart Ariel Lassiter, on the left, for general allocation money (GAM).
CFM is receiving up to $150,000 in GAM from Chicago Fire FC on the final day of the MLS summer transfer window. CFM will receive $75,000 in GAM in 2024, with an additional $75,000 in GAM in 2025 if certain performance-related conditions are met.
Apparently, the debut of Englishman Tom Pearce, who arrived in July as Lassiter’s understudy, has satisfied the club. The Costa Rican international has been a starter for CFM both under Hernán Losada and for Laurent Courtois.
But after an interesting start to the campaign, his output has clearly declined. Recently, his runs down his wing have been in vain and his passes have been imprecise. Despite this, his seven assists are a team high, and he has also scored three goals. Figures recorded mainly before the end of May.
This trade is mainly explained by the player’s contractual situation. His agreement with Montreal was expiring at the end of the year. The same scenario applied to Ruan.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Ariel Lassiter
In his last media appearance in early July, Gabriel Gervais mentioned that he had spoken to all the club’s players to take their pulse. He probably understood at that time that the chances of being able to extend the contracts of Lassiter and Ruan were not widely in the realm of possibility.
This summer, as interim sporting director, Gervais went and got right backs Dawid Bugaj and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, in addition to Pearce on the left. Faced with the specter of losing the services of Ruan and Lassiter at the end of the campaign without receiving anything in return, Montreal made a move. All while giving itself the chance to use the sums received to a better use. We will have to wait until the end of the season to find out what it will do with them.
The keys to the new
Thus, the offensive face of CF Montreal in this month of August is today very different from the one it presented at the start of the season.
In addition to the wings, we can expect young Caden Clark, fresh from Minnesota United, to get a serious audition at attacking midfield. The disappointing Bryce Duke, Dominic Iankov and Kwadwo Opoku have failed to impose themselves there with any consistency in 2024, and it is one of the big gaps in the CFM’s playmaking. Clark has a clear path.
Montreal has been active during this transfer window. Does this mean the club has thrown in the towel on its 2024 season?
Not quite. Already, even if it is not very far from the last place in the East, the CFM is also only one point away from a place in the playoffs.
PHOTO ABBIE PARR, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Newcomer Caden Clark will have the chance to prove himself in midfield for CF Montreal
The acquisitions of youngsters like Clark, Bugaj and Marshall-Rutty, all under 21, are obviously about building for the future. But they can also help the team now. Clearly, there is a desire to breathe new life into it, with nine crucial games still to play.
Ruan missed most of his crosses, despite some good deep runs. Lassiter did not provide the desired attacking contribution, and when he was tested a little deeper on the pitch, almost as a left-back, the result was catastrophic.
As long as the midfield is not unblocked by an attacking player linking the last third to the other two, CF Montreal’s game will go through its full-backs.
The keys now belong to Pearce, Marshall-Rutty and Bugaj. With Caden Clark, will they create enough chances to feed the eager and greedy appetites of Josef Martínez and Matías Cóccaro?
The answer from August 24.