I really enjoyed this video on Samuel Piette’s absences last season. Really insightful on the challenges faced by the captain. I think he can be taken for granted a little but a fully fit Sam is so important to this very young, inexperienced group. Bon chance Captain! #CFMTL

Finally, here’s my take on CFMTL’s difficult 2025 season! No huge surprises here but it felt therapeutic to write! Here’s to better days ahead! #CFMTL open.substack.com/pub/forwhomt...

Hmm… more coaching changes, reminicent of pre 2025 season under Courtois… interesting to see if Donadel’s eventual successor will be among the new staff! www.cfmontreal.com/nouvelles/cf...

Just when you think things are moving along nice and quietly in Montréal…. Standard CFMTL style!! #CFMTL

A bad end to a dire season.I’m going to do a post season debrief on my blog and will boil it down to three areas:the biggest disappointment (player), the biggest positive (player) and Marco Donadel, is he really the man?In the meantime, interested to hear the verdicts of my Montréal comrades! #CFMTL

Woken up to the new club launch and looks like the new outfit is borrowing the name of the former Canadian Soccer League club, Montréal Supra (1988 to 1992). Clever use of heritage to draw in some of the original club’s fans I guess… #noussommesCFMTL

So it looks like the CPL is finally arriving in Quebec. With the possibility of a team in Montréal, right on CFMTL’s doorstep, how do you feel about this, amis de Montréal? Is this good competition for attention or another headache for the CFMTL’s hierarchy ahead of a huge 2026 season? #CFMTL

What a difference the following would make: a new DP central midfielder, an announcement of a proper MLS Next Pro team and the appointment of an experienced MLS coach. Without any of these I just feel we’re drifting, and drifting nowhere in particular. #CFMTL

Another poor result for CFMTL. These defeats are hammer blows to belief in the Donadel mission and the direction of the overall organisation. My gut still doesn’t believe in either… Another season of this would be unthinkable. #CFMTL

Been away on holiday in a very blustery but beautiful Norfolk and only managed to see #CFMTL’s highlights against St Louis. Didn’t look too pretty. How bad was it??

When I’m not scribbling my thoughts about the mighty #CFMTL, I also write about French football. I was so pleased to see my short piece on Rennes’ away kit (2010-11) published in the latest @wsc.co.uk, a fantastic football magazine in England. Merci WSC!

My late take on the TFC draw: frustrated about conceding so late and so soon after taking the lead… Argh!!! Overall, a decent showing though. The glimpse of Ivan Jaime was exciting, finally an attacking player with X factor! Im feeling a strange sense of optimism about next season… 🙏🙏🙏#CFMTL

Not long to go now, from England, Allez CFMTL! 👊 #CFMTL

Some big decisions being made at CFMTL! Waterman out after 6 seasons and Clark next out the door by all accounts. CFMTL comrades, what do we make of these moves?! Is this the shake up we need?? #CFMTL

So, Vilsaint out and Longstaff in. Shame it never quite worked out with Vilsaint but his injuries were frustrating! Longstaff was a big prospect with Newcastle and was highly rated. Not the creative 10 we need though. Do we have the better deal? I think we do…. 🙏#CFMTL

Despite the loss the big positive was the determination and resilience shown despite being a man down. Gillier also looked good. I’m cautiously optimistic going into the Atlanta game but would like to see some thoughtful new player acquisitions to fill those problem areas (ie attacking midfielder)

The final Leagues Cup was another disappointing affair. Again, it finished with CFMTL not getting what they deserved. Waterman’s ill-discipline is becoming a problem, maybe it’s a result of growing frustration around his and the team’s performances.Yet CFMTL still did enough to force pens #CFMTL

I’ve been watching a rerun of Montreal v TFC from 2015 on AppleTV and it’s interesting to see just how much experience and quality there was in the team: Drogba, Ciman, Piatti, Oduro, Donadel, Reo-Coker, Bernier, Bush. Granted it’s ten years ago but what a difference! #CFMTL

Disappointing result for CFMTL. I thought we deserved to at least take the game to pens. How did Owusu’s strike stay out?! Escobar definitely has a lot of promise, will be interesting to see how he develops. Game underlined how we really do need some experienced reinforcements though #CFMTL

Post Revs match thoughts: a very pleasant surprise away win! Revs have been struggling but didn’t see that coming with so many absentees. Superb team performance, big chapeau to Waterman in particular. Vrioni again a no-show… this guy owes us when he does get on the pitch #CFMTL

I wasn’t able to watch the Union game (not helped when Apple TV gave away the final score when I tried to watch the game the following day!). What did my CFMTL friends make of our performance? #CFMTL

Check out part 1 of my exploration of Montréal’s first pro football team, introducing Montréal Olympique! open.substack.com/pub/forwhomt... #CFMTL

Could we see the best version of Waterman soon with Campbell’s exit? Opportunity for him to step up as a leader for a team that needs direction. Hard to know where this takes CFMTL but I guess every game is a preseason now although that would be helpful if we knew who was coach next season!! #CFMTL

Thoughts post Orlando: a surprisingly good performance that got the draw it deserved! Synchuk was enterprising and Loturi was, again, immense with his work rate and energy. Herbers made a difference and Escobar also showed glimpses of promise 👍 I thought Waterman had his best game for a while.#CFMTL

So, CFMTL comrades, where does the club go from here?? Season over? Is this a preseason now for next year now? Personally think a new permanent coach needs to be lined up/secured asap. Need a more able coach to get something out of this squad/future squads #CFMTL

CFMTL’s shopping list: a right footed winger, an attacking central midfielder, another defensive/box to box midfielder (can’t rely on Piete and Loturi all season long), a right back (depth needed), another striker (I’m not convinced we can rely on Vrioni) #CFMTL

Disappointing result against Miami, especially after going one up. Missed some really big chances. Big takeaway has to be the lack of squad depth - the squad really is being stretched thin. New recruits in 3 or 4 positions desperately needed #CFMTL

Some pre-match reading before the Messi show! Is this the time for the real Jules-Anthony Vilsaint to finally stand up? Hopefully CFMTL have a few heroes in their team tonight! Allez L’Impact! #CFMTL open.substack.com/pub/forwhomt...

Anderlecht are a giant in Belgian football (and European football going back a few years). I’m sure domestic success is around the corner for them. This is def a better move than Choniere’s to Grasshopper, an exit that always seemed rather rushed and rash #CFMTL

Thoughts on Nathan Saliba’s transfer to Anderlecht: a good move for Saliba. I wonder if CFMTL could have squeezed out a little more for him (€2m in today’s market seems modest).

So, chapeau to 17 year old Graham-Roach and Vilsaint when he came on. I hope we see more of these two. The former has potential and the latter has undoubted talent - if Vilsaint can just stay fit I still believe he can be a force #CFMTL. Come on L’Impact let’s back this win up 👊

Finally a home win for CFMTL! Having a mobile striker alongside Owusu made a huge difference. it meant that we could meaningfully press NYFC further up the field and create some pressure. Also meant that we didn’t resemble a side playing with ten men as we often do! #CFMTL

Back on the five aside pitch after a long time! A win, some laughs and lots of fun! Some quizzical looks too with me sporting my L’Impact shirt! Very proud to rep the mighty Bleu, Blanc, Noir in London, England last night! 👊 #CFMTL

My latest bite-sized CF Montréal blog and this one looks back at Laurent Ciman’s time at the club. I think the Belgian international is L’Impact’s finest ever defender. How the club could do with him today! #CFMTL open.substack.com/pub/forwhomt...

Post Houston thoughts: wow! A huge team performance but it was great to see Clark looking more like his old self. Loturi and Piette put in monumental shifts. Guboglo looks like such a talent and Neal, for me, was man of the match with a towering performance. Onwards L’Impact! #CFMTL

In my other football blogging life I write about French football but my #CFMTL comrades may be interested in this profile of Montrealer Moïse Bombito - someone who for Europeans has come from nowhere and blown people away in his debut season in Ligue 1 open.substack.com/pub/thecrazy...

If the new man is available, he should be brought in immediately. Remainder of this season would be his preseason. That’s no criticism of Donadel but he lacks expertise and his galvanising affect on arrival was v short lived. Time to get serious now and get someone in with credentials #CFMTL

One hopes that donadel’s appointment as interim was made to buy time for the owners to find a permanent head coach. Although the playing group isn’t up to scratch and the squad was poorly assembled, the need for a permanent, experienced head coach is now urgent #CFMTL

That was an extremely dispiriting defeat for CFMTL. A good start to the match undone, again, by a red card. Vrioni’s petulance turned the game away from CFMTL, and just when we were gaining ascendancy. Thereafter the game was lost. Where CFMTL go from here is hard to say…. Huge despondency #CFMTL

Thoughts after LA: disappointing to lose a two goal lead but should probably be grateful for the point after LA’s second half showing. Calen Clark’s deterioration was a big standout again though. What’s happened? Lack of form/fitness/unhappy with Donadel’s formation?

The squad needs a significant rebuild and serious consideration needs to be made about appointing an experienced coach permanently - not one that is learning on the job. A group of largely inexperienced players directed by inexperienced head coaches isn’t working for CFMTL #CFMTL

Think we were all hoping for a reaction after TFC but it didn’t materialise. So, it seems another reset is required, although one wonders how far this team and coaching group can even go.

Check out my latest piece, a fascinating chat with Gaetano Langianese. Gaetano provided a wonderful insight into one of CFMTL’s predecessor incarnations, Montréal Manic. Thank you once again for sharing your fantastic memories @glangiangaetano.bsky.social #CFMTL open.substack.com/pub/forwhomt...

Post match thoughts v CC: a frustrating equaliser to concede but probably a fair point against a v good opponent. At times in the 2nd half we struggled to get, then keep the ball. Another strong performance from Saliba, who’s fast becoming the team leader #CFMTL

Post match thoughts: fully deserved, impressive win. Well done to Prince, a fabulous goal. Team played some really good football throughout and the balance in defence was better with Bugaj at RB and Waterman at CB. Saliba’s best game for some time. 👏 Allez I’Impact! #CFMTL

My thoughts post Union defeat: an undeserved sucker punch loss. So many chances were missed. Owusu desperately needs time out of the team. Time to give Sunusi or Vilsaint a run in the starting 11 now. Pearce was very good again, as was the general team performance

Thoughts on the NYRBs defeat: from the start it had the strange, lethargic feel of a preseason game, with so many changes. There’s a huge issue offensively, the team desperately needs a natural 9 and an attacking, inventive central midfielder. Everything felt terribly flat and inevitable #CFMTL

Thanks very much for liking my post! 👍 @normand-in-yul.bsky.social

@vincegoudreault.bsky.social Thanks very much for liking my post mate! 👍

From northeast France to the northern tip of Spain, a look back at the early European career of CF Montréal stalwart Samuel Pierre #CFMTL (free article, subscribe for more original CFMTL writing ✍️ ⚜️ open.substack.com/pub/forwhomt...