Laurent Courtois named CF Montreal head coach

CF Montreal named Laurent Courtois as their new head coach on Monday.

The 45-year-old native of France coached the MLS Next Pro side Columbus Crew 2 in 2022 and 2023.

"Over the past few years, Laurent has accumulated a wealth of coaching experience that demonstrates his ability to implement our sporting project with young players in MLS," CF Montreal chief sporting officer Olivier Renard said. "We are confident that he will be able to replicate his past success with our club's core team and young talent, while helping us to achieve our objectives by reviving a desire to win both at home and on the road throughout the season. In addition to his knowledge of the league, he possesses leadership, communication and teaching skills."

Courtois replaces Hernan Losada, who was fired on Nov. 9 after just one season.

Montreal finished 12-17-5 during the 2023 season, just two points below the playoff cutline.

Courtois was the MLS Next Pro Coach of the Year in 2022 and helped Crew 2 reach the championship final in each of the past two seasons.

"I'm honored to be joining the club and embarking on this new adventure in Montreal," Courtois said in a release. "I'm very proud of this responsibility. I'm looking forward to working with everyone at the club and contributing to the team's success. I want to continue the development work begun with our young players, while offering a dynamic style of play and emotions to the fans."

Before he moved into coaching, Courtois ended a long playing career with 39 MLS games for Chivas USA (2011-13) and the Los Angeles Galaxy (2014).

—Field Level Media