MONTREAL – It was back to school at CF Montreal when the players completed their first practice camp under new head coach Hernan Losada at the Olympic Stadium on Monday.
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“It’s a very motivated group with a lot of energy. It was good practice. I am also very happy to finally start the new season. That’s very positive,” said the Argentinian driver.
“First thing I said [à mes joueurs]I was so happy to be here,” Losada continued.
The 40-year-old was appointed CF Montreal manager on December 21 after being sacked by DC United last April. This compulsory break of eight months seems to have brought him to an understanding.
“I’ve been unemployed for several months. That bored me. Sometimes we don’t realize how fortunate and happy we are doing what we love. I told them to have fun and realize how lucky we are to get paid well for doing what we’re passionate about.”
on the scale
Before participating in the touch-the-ball drills and team play sessions, the CF Montreal players spent almost an hour stretching and lifting weights. The athletes also had to face the scales.
Knowing and monitoring the weight of his players seems to be important for Losada.
“It’s just normal,” he said of it. I personally weigh myself once a week. It’s about being healthy. I will weigh my players about once a week.”
All this does not bother Mason Toye, who is at the side of his new coach.
“He has a bad reputation for being a bit strict when it comes to his physical condition,” commented the striker. We are professional athletes and we should all take care of our bodies. He’s just trying to hold us accountable.”
“We’ve only known him for a few days but he’s a coach with a lot of experience,” added Toye. He seems like a good guy. We look forward to working with him.”
Kamara wasn’t there
On that first day of camp, many CF Montreal employees were absent. We already knew that the four players who represented Canada at the World Cup, namely James Pantemis, Samuel Piette, Kamal Miller and Joel Waterman, were given extra breathing space. Defender Rudy Camacho was ill while striker Kei Kamara’s case proved nebulous.
CF Montreal had announced that the 38-year-old veteran would be in town. A member of the team said he was taking time off for personal reasons, while Losada instead said the Sierra Leonean man was also ill…
“He’s still in Africa and will be back in the next few days,” said the head coach.
In summary
This first training session took place in the Olympic Stadium and on the brand new “FIFA QUALITY PRO” certified synthetic pitch. It is the only course in Quebec with such certification and one of five in Canada. The players were also very happy with this change.
“First the surface [au Stade olympique] wasn’t worth much. The news, I give 10 out of 10 points,” said midfielder Mathieu Choinière.