There’s no smoke without fire, they say. After months of speculation, CF Montreal finally announced Tuesday that Quebec midfielder Mathieu Choinière has been transferred to Grasshopper Club Zurich, a Swiss first division club.
The Swiss team stated on its website that it had given him a contract valid until 2027.
“(The decision) to join GC Zurich is the right one for me. I am looking forward to playing in the Swiss Super League and demonstrating my talent at GC. It is an exciting challenge that I am very motivated to take on,” Choinière said in a press release.
For its part, Grasshopper Club said it was very happy to be able to welcome the 25-year-old player into its ranks.
“We are delighted to welcome Mathieu to the team. He is a versatile midfielder who gives us more options in the game,” said sporting director Stephan Schwarz.
The Quebec native from Saint-Alexandre is the first player in the club’s history to have passed all the levels of the CF Montreal Academy. He joined the academy in 2011, before signing his first professional contract on July 17, 2018.
He made his first-team debut the following day in a 1–0 Canadian Championship win over Vancouver Whitecaps.
Over the past seven seasons with the first team, he has played 119 MLS games, including 89 starts, and has accumulated 8,074 minutes of play, 11 goals and 10 assists. The midfielder has also played 12 Canadian Championship games, five League Cup games, two CONCACAF Champions Cup games and one MLS playoff game.
Choinière notably helped the Bleu-blanc-noir win the Voyageurs Cup in 2019 and 2021. He was also named to the MLS All-Star Team in 2023 and 2024.
“We are very happy for Mathieu and I would like to congratulate him on his exceptional career with the club,” said CF Montreal President and CEO Gabriel Gervais in a press release.
“Since the age of 12, we have supported his development and he has made remarkable progress thanks to his work ethic and passion for soccer. Mathieu aspired to discover Europe and his departure represents another great example of the sports project that we are building in Montreal. We wish him the best of success in Switzerland and for the rest of his career,” added Gervais.
Both parties declined to provide financial details of the Canadian international’s transfer.
Choinière was under contract with CF Montreal until the end of the season, and the MLS club had an option year for 2025. He earned a base salary of US$250,000 last year.
CF Montreal (6-11-9) is currently 11e in the Eastern Conference standings, one point out of a playoff spot with eight games remaining in the regular season.
The Montreal team has been particularly active during the recent international transfer window, adding left-back Tom Pearce (Wigan Athletic FC), right-back Dawid Bugaj (Italian Serie C club SPAL), midfielder Caden Clark (Minnesota United FC) and Canadian forward Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty (Toronto FC) this summer.
Forward Ariel Lassiter (Chicago Fire), right-back Ruan (FC Dallas) and forward Mason Toye (Portland Tombers) also left CF Montreal permanently, while others found themselves in other climes on loan.
Grasshopper Club Zurich are currently eighth among the 12 teams in the Swiss Super League with one win, one draw and three losses so far in 2024-25.