Two CF Montreal players have earned individual team honors for their performance on the pitch in 2021. However, everything indicates that one of them will not be back with the club in 2022.
Sporting director Olivier Renard confirmed on Tuesday that central defender Rudy Camacho and team management had not been able to come to an agreement for a new contract.
The announcement came about an hour after CF Montreal announced that Camacho had been voted Defensive Player of the Year following a vote by season ticket holders.
“We made him an offer several months ago, it was refused. We accept that, absolutely. And I wish him to find, or find a contract that he wants to sign, quite simply. We, on our side, were open to keeping Rudy. We don’t have an agreement and that’s life. That’s how it is, ”Renard said when asked the first question.
Camacho, who did not speak to the media on Tuesday, was in a fourth season with the organization. In 31 games, the 30-year-old center-back has scored three goals. Suddenly, he tied a club record for goals scored by a defender in a single campaign.
“He had a very good season, and again this morning in my office, I thanked him for various reasons, including having given 100 percent until the last minute”, underlined Renard, referring to the Canadian Championship final Sunday against Toronto FC.
In passing, Renard revealed that the team will acquire Gabriele Corbo, a 21-year-old tall central defender (1m86), who played with FC Bologna in 2021. The news should be confirmed during the next few days.
Other decisions surrounding the formation of the team for 2022 are expected to be unveiled by November 30.
A beneficial change
In addition to Camacho, season ticket holders honored Djordje Mihailovic by identifying him as the team’s Most Valuable Player.
Mihailovic has established himself as CF Montreal’s creative player par excellence, collecting 16 assists. That’s just two short of Carles Gil of the New England Revolution, the MLS leader in 2021.
Mihailovic also erased Ignacio Piatti’s record for 13 assists, set in 2018.
“I think the change of team and scenery really motivated me. The fact of joining a new team, of proving that I am worth what was invested to obtain my services are the kind of elements that motivate me, ”said the 23-year-old American, whom the Montreal team had obtained from the Fire. Chicago on December 17, 2020.
Mihailovic, who has never hidden his dream of evolving in Europe one day, will go there very soon, moreover, to train with FC Bologna.
On this, Renard took the lead and was keen to make sure that the rumors were extinguished before they started to spread.
“I prefer to talk about it now, because otherwise I know it’s going to be a media boom. I reassure you right away, it is not sold in Bologna but in the next few days, Djordje Mihailovic, Ismaël Koné and Rida (Zouhir) will go a few weeks, a few days in Bologna to train. I prefer to say it directly, it is not sold at all, because I know it will go straight all over the place. It’s part of what we want to do and the players are very happy to go. “
A disappointing exclusion
In his year-end review, Renard praised the work of the team’s instructor staff and especially the work accomplished by Wilfried Nancy. He still admitted his disappointment at the exclusion of CF Montreal from the MLS playoffs.
“I’m very happy with the work of the staff and Wilfried in particular, who has helped a lot of young players evolve, who has made the team progress. But on the other hand, I’m disappointed because I’m convinced that with the current team, we should have made the playoffs. Perhaps we deserved more to make the playoffs than to win the Canada Cup, ”he even observed.
“The game in Halifax, we score in the last minutes. In (Hamilton), Forge deserved even better than us. So, all in all, we managed to have this cut. But for me, depending on what we did as a championship quality, we deserved to qualify for the playoffs. And if we don’t qualify, it’s only our fault by missing important moments, ”added Renard, referring to the missed opportunities in attack and the few very late goals that the team conceded during the season.
For her part, Nancy delivered an analysis of her first season that went beyond the results.
“The thing I’m most proud of is that the players take ownership of what I put in place with the staff. It is certain that the professional profession is important in the long term in relation to the results. You have to have results to last, that’s clear. The content, how to do it is very important, and why we do it. This is what I felt. That’s why we had an interesting, encouraging season. “
One of the four players to have conversed with the media on Tuesday, Samuel Piette said he was optimistic about 2022.
“We were placed 27th out of 27 at the start of the year, maybe with good reason, or not. But we were able to silence several people, between quotes, to prove that people perhaps did not see us in the right way.
“The core is good. It’s when there are a lot of changes that this is where it can go a little less well. I don’t think that will be the case for next year. Wilfried’s return is also obviously going to be a great continuity. “