"We had outlined specific goals at the end of last season relating to style of play and player progression, and we saw very quickly that those objectives were not being met." That's Luca Saputo — CF Montréal's managing director for recruitment and sporting methodology — explaining why Marco Donadel lasted just seven games as head coach.
The firing was confirmed Sunday, a day after a 2-1 home loss to a Philadelphia Union side sitting dead last in the Eastern Conference. The club made it worse by refusing to hold a post-match press conference on Saturday, letting speculation fester overnight before making it official.
Another coach, another reset
This is the 11th permanent head coach CF Montréal have cycled through since joining MLS in 2012. No franchise across the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, or MLS has churned through more. That's not bad luck. That's a structural problem — and Saputo, to his credit, acknowledged it directly, accepting responsibility for errors in judgment that led to Donadel's permanent appointment in the first place.
Assistant coach Philippe Eullaffroy steps in as caretaker, though Saputo was explicit: he's not a candidate for the permanent role. Montreal want someone in place before the FIFA World Cup break at the end of May, giving whoever comes in roughly two months to integrate before the second half of the season.
The tactical brief is clear enough. "We want to play an attacking style of football with the ball; we want to be able to build out from the back," Saputo said. What that means in practice: the last four coaches brought four completely different philosophies, and the resulting disconnect between front office and technical staff has visibly damaged squad cohesion. Donadel's player usage, in particular, drew criticism — certain tactical decisions described as "difficult to understand."
A fanbase running out of patience
Only 14,000 showed up for Saturday's home opener. Boos rang out at full-time. Mathieu Charron, a prominent voice in the 1642MTL supporters' group, didn't sugarcoat it: "You're down to the last of us. There are a lot of fans that left... and want to spend both their time and leisure money elsewhere."
That's the real cost here, beyond the coaching carousel. MLS has been riding record-breaking attendance figures off the back of Lionel Messi's arrival — but Montreal isn't seeing any of that lift. A club that once had genuine momentum is now fighting to keep its own supporters interested.
Montreal sit at 1-5-0. They have two more road games before returning to Stade Saputo. The season isn't dead, but at those odds, anyone backing a Montreal turnaround needs the right manager through the door fast — and this club's recent history gives no particular reason to assume they'll get that call right this time.
- Current record: 1-5-0
- Caretaker: Philippe Eullaffroy (not a candidate for permanent role)
- Target timeline: Permanent manager in place before end-of-May World Cup break
- Coaching changes since 2012: 11 permanent head coaches
Saputo says the CVs are already flooding in. He'd better pick the right one this time.
