From his first discussions with the leaders of CF Montreal, Laurent Courtois knew that he wanted to take the reins of the team. It had even become an obsession.
The good news for him was that the feeling was mutual.
At the end of a process described as rigorous, the Montreal team presented head coach Courtois on Tuesday, less than a week before the start of its training camp in Tucson, Arizona.
The 45-year-old Lyonnais, who signed a two-year contract, was not in his first job interviews, but everything he saw from the Bleu-Blanc-Noir seemed to give him confidence that he could accomplish great things in Montreal. Above all, he felt like he was at home.
“It was practically a grown-up dream to sign with the club. When I started talking to people here, it became an obsession. I feel here as I feel in Lyon or at Olympique Lyonnais [OL]. There is so much potential here. When I see the comments I received from strangers or my friends in France, Montreal, it’s special. Seeing the potential squad, it is inevitable for me to draw a parallel with what I experienced in Lyon. »
Lyon is where it all began for Courtois, both as a player and as head coach.
He developed as a midfielder at the OL training center and turned professional in 1998, in Ligue 2 in France. After stays in England and Spain, he made the jump to MLS in 2011, with the defunct club Chivas USA. He finished his career as player-coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy reserve team in 2014.
Courtois returned to Lyon to obtain his coaching certification with the French Football Federation. In the meantime, he supported young OL players. However, it was as head coach of the Columbus Crew reserve team that he stood out.
The Frenchman, who advocates an attacking and fast style of play, guided Crew 2 to the title of MLS Next Pro champion, in 2022, and to a defeat in the final, in 2023. He was also named coach -leader of the year in MLS Next Pro in 2022.
“I was lucky enough to be talented when I was younger, but I never felt directed, I felt more used,” he explained. When I took this coaching course, I told myself that I wanted to help players my age. I didn’t experience all this success alone in Columbus. We made sure everyone was comfortable. When you succeed in creating this link, everything becomes easier. I was the person behind the bench, but it was the result of training and that mentality. »
Given his influence on the development of certain young players, including Quebecer Mohamed Farsi, it stood to reason that he fit well into the philosophy of CF Montreal. Especially since he somehow had a say in the Crew’s MLS Cup victory a month ago.
“Laurent ticked all the boxes we were looking for. He wants to be part of our project, he is a winner and he has a lot of experience with young people, mentioned the president and CEO of CF Montreal, Gabriel Gervais. He has a style of play that matches our philosophy and he is an excellent communicator. We are convinced that he will be able to bring this cohesion between our core of leaders, our veterans and the young people. »
Grinta 2.0?
There is a word that has come up several times in recent years within CF Montreal: “ grinta “.
This Italian expression, popularized by former Montreal team assistant coach Jason Di Tullio, means combativeness and intensity in all aspects of the game on the field. The grinta was not always present last season, but Courtois should not fail to apply it in 2024.
“We all love the beautiful game, the elaborate game, but there are things on which I am uncompromising: heart, energy, combativeness,” said Courtois. I want the players and the fans to see that we have a common goal, and that is to pull out all the stops. I want the players to have the confidence to make mistakes, because that’s how we progress. »
After CF Montreal’s record season in 2022 and the departure of head coach Wilfried Nancy, the team was looking for a certain continuity in its style of play. Vice-president and chief sporting officer, Olivier Renard, therefore hired Hernán Losada in hopes of making it happen. However, that is not what happened.
During the end of the 2023 season review, Renard said he was surprised to see that the style of play agreed between him and Losada had not necessarily been respected. Courtois seems to come much closer to Nancy’s philosophy, even if he will propose his own playing principles.
The new head coach has also made it his mission to properly install his playing system this season. If he succeeds, then he thinks the playoffs will be more than reachable.
“My two goals are the playoffs and the style of play. I don’t see how we will make the playoffs without this style of play and I don’t know how I will be able to establish a style of play that is successful if we don’t make it in the playoffs, he noted. Our philosophy is to create scoring opportunities. I want us to be obsessed with it, and it starts from the goalie all the way up. I want players to be obsessed with playing forward and being dangerous. »