In 2015, the Montreal Impact rediscovered the USL, this time with FC Montreal, the club’s second team and final stepping stone before MLS.
For most of the players on the team, it was a first experience in a professional soccer sphere. This reality hit hard over the first few months of the season.
“This difficult reality of playing against professional players, we saw it in the first three months,” said head coach Philippe Eullaffroy.
Step by step, players gained experience, progressed and started winning. In the middle of the season, FC Montreal became the team to beat with a series of six wins in eight games.
“It’s a mixed review,” added Eullaffroy. “As a competitor, you can’t be happy with the results we saw on the field. The second part of the season was much better. If we only take that into consideration, we would have finished in fourth place, which is significant.”
The season review changes when you keep in mind that this is a team in place mostly as a development tool.
“On a development perspective, we can be satisfied because we saw progress,” explained Eullaffroy. “Our good record in the second part of the season would have us in the playoffs if we played that same way all season long. This means the players progressed, they got better.”
There is a clear conclusion when reviewing season 1: A USL team will contribute to the progress of the Academy players, to help them not only get a chance to eventually play in MLS, but be good when they do.
“It’s clear that without the USL, players would have to make the jump to MLS before facing professional players. This part will already be done [with FC Montreal]. When they eventually integrate with the pro team in MLS, they will already be professional players and they will have this experience of playing against more experienced players. They will be able to express their qualities as soon as they get called to the first team.”
The step up to MLS is a big one. You have to pass through the U18s and then FC Montreal, which is a tough step in its own right, before joining the first team.
“You can be dominant with the U18s and be first in the regular season [USSDA], but the gap is huge for FC Montreal, so imagine passing from the U18s straight to MLS. It means that it’s good to be dominant in your age group, but never forget that the final goal is to be with the pros and be good with the pros, to be someone who can express himself as soon as you get with the first team.”
FC Montreal finished the season with an 8-16-4 record, in 10th position in the Eastern Conference. During the season, the team, who was already the youngest in the league, integrated eight U18 players who signed with the team.
The 2016 season will start once again with one of the youngest groups in the league, but the experience gained in 2015 should help them start the season on the right foot.
