CF Montreal unveiled their new head coach Hernan Losada at a press conference on Thursday at the Center Nutrilait and he comes to metropolitan Quebec with great enthusiasm.
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The 40-year-old Argentine, who spoke several sentences in understandable French, said he was happy to join a team that he feels is recognized for the quality of development in its young athletes. Also, journalists were quick to question him about his sometimes stormy past relationships with his troops, and he didn’t necessarily run away, saying he was always willing to learn and improve.
“It’s not easy to keep 30 players happy and motivated; it’s challenging and hard work. There are many changes along the way. I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve also achieved good things and I’m proud of them. Sometimes there were negative comments, but I also received positive ones, he specified. I’m a young instructor learning a lot as a coach and as a person. […] I still have to change and adjust aspects.”
“I made mistakes, I’m a young coach and I’m here to improve. It’s not easy to please 30-32 players. -Losada. #CFMTL
— Andy Mailly-Pressoir (@AndympTVAS) December 22, 2022
Losada will replace Wilfried Nancy, who left the organization in favor of Columbus Crew in the fall. He is the Montreal club’s ninth driver since joining Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2012. He was previously in charge of 41 games at DC United from January 2021 to April, averaging 17 wins in total. The former Belgian league player was also at the helm of Beerschot’s team from 2019 to 2021, among others.
“I’m really happy about his arrival, we faced each other in Belgium and I’m sure we’ll do good together,” commented CF Montreal vice-president and sporting director Olivier Renard. I’m very proud and it’s mutual, we trust his vision. As a coach in Belgium he has done well despite the pressure from the fans and achieved a lot at DC United.
More offensive vision
By betting on Losada, CF Montreal hopes to add more penetrating power to their attack as they believe the new driver will use strategies to open the game more strongly.
“The coach adapts to the club and not the other way around. What we want in Montreal is attacking football,” said Renard, recalling two past clashes between DC and Montreal in which the Washington team dominated their rivals.
“I was an attacking midfielder. I’m always thinking about how to win a game and not lose it. How can we create more scoring chances? I believe that football is a spectacle and you have to offer fans interesting material,” added Losada.
changes
It’s been a busy few weeks in the CF offices, especially dealing with the crew that Nancy has hired.
“There has been interest in the position and several have come forward, but there is still a process to follow in the league. As the steps with Columbus became clearer, we met the candidates about a month ago. From the moment Wilfried left, things went very quickly, Renard explained. We will try to start the season as well as possible with the existing staff. We felt very comfortable with Hernan from the start and money was not an issue.
CF finished second in the Eastern Conference in 2022 with 65 points, losing to New York City FC in the second round of play. During the off-season, a few key figures such as Djordje Mihailovic, Alistair Johnston, Ismaël Koné and Victor Wanyama lifted the veil and created gaps to fill the workforce.
In recent days, Renard has secured defenders Aaron Herrera and George Campbell through swap deals with Real Salt Lake and Atlanta United FC respectively.