During this difficult CF Montreal season, the team still had two beautiful glimmers of hope. And they were also rewarded on Tuesday.
Quebec midfielder Mathieu Choinière received the Giuseppe-Saputo trophy, awarded to the club’s outstanding player for the 2023 season, while goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois earned the trophy for the Bleu-blanc-noir’s outstanding defensive player.
These prizes were awarded during CF Montréal’s end-of-season review, which took place this morning at the Nutrilait Center. The club was knocked out of the MLS playoffs after losing 2-1 to the Crew in Columbus last Saturday.
Choinière finished the season as the team’s leading scorer and point scorer with five goals and five assists in 28 games this season. The 24-year-old also represented CF Montreal in the MLS All-Star Game.
“I am not surprised by the results for Mathieu. He was exemplary from the start to the end of the season. He is totally deserving of the MVP award that the fans gave him, as well as the choice of his teammates, because it demonstrates what he means to them in the locker room,” said the vice-president and CEO sportswoman of CF Montreal, Olivier Renard, via press release.
Choinière was also the recipient of the Jason Di-Tullio Trophy, which is awarded annually to the player who demonstrated fiery and combative state spirit like the one nicknamed “La Grinta”. The recipient of the Jason-Di-Tullio Trophy is chosen by the team’s players, and awarded since 2022. It is an annual distinction awarded in honor of former CF Montreal player and assistant coach Jason Di Tullio, died on July 29, 2022.
After a touching video, Choinière received the trophy from Di Tullio’s mother, Giulia Garofano.
“It’s a trophy that means a lot to me and that touches my heart. I knew Jason for a long time, with the Academy and among the professionals. The passion and his person were exceptional. It’s something I always wanted to keep in myself,” Choinière said.
For his part, Sirois distinguished himself in particular by establishing a new franchise record with 11 shutouts this season in the Garber circuit, including nine at home.
“At the start of the season, that wasn’t one of my goals. It is the fruit of a long work and a long process. It is also the fruit of the collective work of the club’s goalkeepers. We were consistent in our work and that allowed me to perform well this year,” said Sirois.
CF Montreal head coach, Hernan Losada, took the opportunity to say that these two honors were a source of pride for the team, but also for the province.
“We gave a trophy to two Academy products. Not to Messi or Shaqiri, no, to Mathieu Choinière and Jonathan Sirois. We can be proud of that. We can build on that and I can’t say if there are many teams in MLS that can boast of playing games with six local players like we did,” Losada stressed.