No one saw this one coming. According to informant Tom Bogert, Mathieu Choinière requested to be exchanged from CF Montreal, the club whose colors he has worn since 2011.
The midfielder signed a two-year contract extension in 2022, until the end of 2024. This agreement came with an option year, potentially tying him to the club until 2025.
The journalist from The Athletic suggests that Choinière has had discussions with the club for another extension in recent months. But with these negotiations now at a standstill, the player has reportedly requested a trade.
We asked CF Montreal to comment on this information, but the club had not yet responded at the time of publication.
Still according to Bogert, several clubs contacted Montreal about Choinière’s availability before the transfer market closed on April 23. He indicates, citing his sources, that several teams would be ready to acquire him next summer.
This news is surprising. Firstly because this would be an astonishing gesture on the part of a player who does not have the reputation of forcing the hand of his managers in this way. But also because of the timing chosen for such an exit, a year and a half before the end of his contract.
Perhaps he wants to be recognized for his true worth, he who has only gained strength with the CFM over the last two years, becoming the metronome of the Bleu-blanc-noir in midfield. He accounted for $276,667 of the team’s 2023 payroll, placing him roughly in the middle of the MLS salary pack. Figures for the 2024 season have not yet been revealed by the players’ association.
For example, other midfielders playing in the same position as Mathieu Choinière at number 8 in the MLS have more advantageous contracts. Aidan Morris, with the Columbus Crew, receives $562,500. Diego Gómez, with Inter Miami, is paid $504,000. Adalberto Carrasquilla, with the Houston Dynamo, is 550,000. Jonathan Osorio, with Toronto FC, is a product of the house who has reached the status of designated player (1.4 million).
They are not all players of the same caliber, obviously. But if the Quebecer sees himself as their equal, the $500,000 plateau seems to be achievable in his case. Remember that Choinière was invited to the MLS All-Star Game last year.
Even within his club, other players better paid than him have underperformed, such as Mason Toye ($608,000) or Lassi Lappalainen ($660,000). Not to mention designated player Victor Wanyama and his salary of 1.8 million who have warmed up the bench since last year.
Mathieu Choinière – and his agent – undoubtedly want to remove the discount label that is often attached to local players. The future will tell us if the gamble will pay off for the Choinière clan, especially if movement is being prepared with the aforementioned players in view of the next transfer window which will open on July 18.
Choinière joined the Impact Academy in 2011, and was the first player to rise through the ranks of the club to become a senior player. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2023, having scored 5 goals under Hernán Losada.
He has made 81 starts in 111 MLS appearances, and has played 7,375 minutes since 2018.