Major League Soccer side Montreal Impact, home to Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama, has appointed Laurent Courtois as their new head coach.
The 46-year-old Courtois replaces Hernan Losada, who was fired on Nov. 9 2023 after Montreal failed to reach the playoffs. Courtois was MLS Next Pro coach of the year in 2022 after his team won that league’s title
“CF Montréal announced on Monday the appointment of Laurent Courtois as head coach of the Club’s first team,” the club said in a statement.
“We are very pleased with Laurent’s appointment today,” said CF Montréal Vice-President and Chief Sporting Officer Olivier Renard. “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.
“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.”
On his side, Courtois said: “I’m honoured to be joining the Club and embarking on this new adventure in Montreal. 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.”
The 45-year-old native of Lyon had been head coach of the Columbus Crew reserve team since January 28, 2022.
