Donadel era begins as CF Montréal looks to rebuild after worst season

MONTREAL – After completing the worst season in their 33-year history, CF Montréal enters the offseason with a permanent head coach in Marco Donadel and a long list of roster decisions to make.

Donadel went 8-17-10 after taking over on an interim basis following Laurent Courtois’s dismissal five games into the season.

“I know the city, I love the city. I also know the club and the organization,” said Donadel, who played 3 1/2 seasons for the then-Montreal Impact. “I’ve lived here for seven months, another three as assistant coach, so I know the league much better and all the players. Knowing them, I also know their potential and what we need to be better and more complete as a team.”

With Donadel now confirmed as head coach, Montréal will shift its focus to the offseason and winter transfer window — a critical period after a campaign that fell apart early and never recovered.

CF Montréal once again fielded both the youngest roster and the lowest payroll in Major League Soccer. The club’s model of developing and selling young players has produced mixed results — two playoff appearances and just one post-season win in the past five years.

That approach isn’t expected to change, but the rebuild has created more financial flexibility and at least the potential for increased spending.

“What you spend is not where you finish in the table, and we see that every year,” said managing director Luca Saputo. “It’s about having the right foundation, the right players, and the right environment.”

Saputo noted that even doubling Montréal’s point total wouldn’t have been enough to reach the playoffs, but said the rebuild only truly began in midsummer and the club now wants to build on that base.

The first transfer window of the rebuild during the summer brought in promising talent, including defenders Bode Hidalgo and Efrain Morales, goalkeeper Thomas Gillier and new Designated Player Ivan Jaime.

However, their limited playing time makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions about their impact. Montréal is expected to add more reinforcements this winter to climb the standings in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference.

The club will maintain its roster structure with two Designated Players and four Under-22 Initiative spots, all of which it plans to fill to stay competitive. Montréal has kept an open mind about the types of players it hopes to add.

“The most important thing is a desire to play here; we want to create a solid group, and that’s why the player’s trajectory is also important,” said Donadel. “I don’t have my focus (on a specific formation), I was focused on the space that we can have during a game.”

Donadel reiterated his desire for balance, saying he wants to avoid a roster weighted too heavily toward either attack or defence. He added that formations could shift depending on the opponent, with player profiles valued more than fixed positions — a sign of greater fluidity for next year’s squad.

One of the few bright spots for Montréal was striker Prince Owusu, who scored 17 goals and added three assists in all competitions. He was named the club’s most valuable player, earning the Giuseppe Saputo Trophy after one of the best seasons of his career.

“It was a roller coaster; it was a season that we can learn a lot from. The club’s given me a lot and I’m just trying to give back,” said Owusu, who credited Donadel’s support for helping him rediscover his scoring touch following a slow start to the season. “It’s important to feel the support from the coach, and it was a little bit of a difficult time, but I felt his support, and he was communicating it.”

The season also saw Owusu emerge as a leader. With captain Samuel Piette sidelined by injury and Joel Waterman traded, the German striker wore the armband for seven of Montréal’s final nine games and became one of the most vocal figures in the locker room.

Goalkeeper Sebastian Breza received the Jason Di Tullio Award for work ethic and team spirit, while midfielder Victor Loturi was named Defensive Player of the Year. Training camp is expected to begin in January, though no official date has been set.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2025.