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CF Montreal president has blasted the team for their below-par performance that saw Victor Wanyama and his team-mates end the season trophyless while missing the MLS playoffs.
CF Montreal president and CEO Gabriel Gervais has expressed his displeasure at the team’s disappointing end to the season which saw them fail to win a trophy and miss out on the Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs.
Hernan Losada’s men were knocked out of the Leagues Cup and also lost the Canadian Championship final. Any hopes of staying in the trophy hunt were ended when they missed out on the playoff last month, having finished second in the MLS Eastern Conference in 2022.
“Even if we had entered [the playoffs] through the back door, we would not have been satisfied with the overall way we played,” Gervais told La Presse’s Jean-Francois Teotonio.
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21:00 - 26.10.2023
STARS ABROAD Helpless Victor Wanyama does not understand why he turned into a bench warmer at CF Montreal
The former Harambee Stars captain has been relegated to the bench at CF Montreal by a teenager in recent times, leaving his future with the Canadian club bleak.
“If we look at the whole season, we are not satisfied with the final result. Not just for not having reached the playoffs, but for not having won a trophy.
“Each time, I had the impression that we were close to achieving certain objectives, and then we fell short. Same thing in the Leagues Cup. We were there, and ultimately, we missed our opportunities.”
Montreal, home to former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama, started the season well, winning six games in a row in all competitions between mid-April and mid-May, conceding just once in the process.
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They put up a club-record six consecutive shutout wins at home from April 22 to June 21 while playing enterprising, attacking football on multiple occasions.
However, there was no consistency outside of those runs of top form. On the road, they won just twice all season in the league and conceded 40 in 17 matches.
As the season progressed, things turned from bad to worse with the 4-1 dismantling of the Portland Timbers the club’s only victory in their final nine league games of the season, an ultimately fatal run that cost them the playoff spot.
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“This is one of the evaluations that we must make. Have we done the most we can with these young people?” Gervais asked. “If I take a step back, everyone had a chance this year, including the young guys.”
Gervais’ sentiments increases pressure on Losada whose tenure was questioned by Sporting Director Olivier Renard last week. Losada is already not on good terms with Wanyama who demanded answers from him over his limited playing time in the final weeks of the season.
“I was disappointed. As a player, you want to play more. I didn’t really understand why,” Wanyama, who started one match since mid-July, said as quoted by Canadian Soccer Daily.
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12:00 - 22.10.2023
STARS ABROAD Victor Wanyama out of MLS playoffs following CF Montreal’s elimination on Decision Day
Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama will end the season trophyless after his side CF Montreal were eliminated from the MLS playoff following defeat to Columbus Crew
In what will be bad news for Wanyama, the club president was delighted by the integration of youngsters into the squad.
The president particularly cited the development of Canadian trio Jonathan Sirois, Nathan Saliba, and Mathieu Choiniere. Saliba is the one who has taken Wanyama’s place in midfield for Montreal.
Gervais, however, credited Renard and not Losada for the introduction of youth while leaving it to the Sporting Director to decide the coach’s fate.
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“When I look at what [Renard] does, what he brings, this culture of having young local Quebecers on the ground. I hadn’t seen that since [my playing years]. It’s a matter of great pride. It’s in our DNA,” said Gervais.
“The decision [on the coach’s future] belongs to Olivier Renard. The decision will really come from the sporting side.”
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