MONTREAL – After three weeks of training, FC Montreal will play the first preseason game of training camp, this Saturday, at 4pm, against UQAM at the Complexe sportif Marie-Victorin.
Like every year, the team will be facing off against Universities from across the province in the first part of its preseason. Here is the list of their opponents:
- UQAM – January 23rd, 4pm, Complexe sportif Marie-Victorin
- UQTR – January 31st, 4pm, in Trois-Rivières
- Université Laval – February 7th, 3:30pm, in Quebec City
- McGill University – February 14th, 6pm, Complexe sportif Marie-Victorin
“These games always have a high level of intensity that help us find our pace,” said FC Montreal head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “It helps to work on reflexes, tactical settings and to try new things, while playing a good level of soccer at an interesting period of the year. We travel a little bit, so it will also bring back the habits and help the players find their bearings and get into a routine. In the second half of the preseason, we would like to add games against other teams from professional leagues.”
The team is working on adding friendlies against USL, NASL or other MLS reserve teams.
Since some FC Montreal players will be taking part in the first team’s training camp, players from the U18 team will be included on the roster for preseason games to distribute playing time more efficiently.
In its first USL season in 2015, FC Montreal finished in 10th spot in the Eastern Conference with a 8-16-4 record. After a though start to the season, the team had a good run in the second half with a 7-5-2 record in its last 14 games. It was also the youngest team in the entire league with an average of 19.9 years old.
