MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact announced on Thursday that Impact U23 midfielder Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé signed a professional contract with the club, as a homegrown player. As per league policy, details of the deal were not disclosed.
Gagnon-Laparé, 19, has played five games in PDL this season and has started two games in the MLS Reserve League, while training with the first team since the start of the 2014 campaign.
The native of Sherbrooke made his pro debut with the first team on May 7, in Edmonton, in the semi-final of the Amway Canadian Championship.
Gagnon-Laparé joined the Impact Academy in 2011, and went on to graduate from the club’s U18, U21 and U23 teams. Prior to that, he played on a number of regional and provincial teams, as well as other programs with the Quebec Soccer Federation.
At the international level, Gagnon-Laparé made four appearances with the Canadian men’s national team, including two friendly matches against Bulgaria and Moldavia, in Austria, last May.
He most recently took part in the U20 men’s national team camp in preparation for the U20 CONCACAF championships. He also donned the Canadian jersey at the U16 and U18 levels.
He becomes the sixth Academy player to sign a professional contract with the club in MLS, following defenders Karl W. Ouimette, Maxim Tissot and Wandrille Lefèvre, goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, as well as midfielder Zakaria Messoudi.
JÉRÉMY GAGNON-LAPARÉ
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’11
Weight: 165 lbs
Date of birth: March 9, 1995, Sherbrooke, Quebec
Residence: Montreal, Quebec
Former team: Impact U23
Signed: July 3, 2014
