This is not so much a return as a new beginning.
When he signed an MLS contract with the Impact for the first time, on September 12, 2014, Louis Béland-Goyette made his first division debut the next day.
This remains his only MLS appearance thus far.
Removed from the first team roster and added to FC Montreal’s months later, Béland-Goyette did not consider this a setback. Rather, he saw a challenge. And he was up to it, as the Impact confirmed on Thursday, announcing that the 21-year-old would return to MLS in the 2017 season.
“I could have told myself that I had to try my luck elsewhere, but no – I had to prove myself and win the spot that I hadn’t won with the first team,” said Béland-Goyette on Thursday. “I did everything I could with FC Montreal in order to prove myself to the first team technical staff. I think this is a reward for the work I put in.”
An unexperienced 18-year-old when he joined the first team in 2014, Béland-Goyette has since grown greatly as a player and as a person. He captained FC Montreal in 2016 and played 3,256 minutes in 41 games through two USL seasons. His play has won the club’s technical staff over.
“Louis has acquired a lot of experience in the last two years with FC Montreal,” said Impact head coach Mauro Biello. “We knew of his abilities to distribute the ball and read the play. This season, he became a key part of FC Montreal. In every game that he played, he’s done very well in midfield, using his on-the-ball abilities and his understanding of the game well. He deserves this, as he’s worked hard for it.”
And despite a bumpy road to MLS, Béland-Goyette didn’t stop believing.
“I approached my USL games wanting to prove myself and work hard in every game,” said Béland-Goyette. “I think the coaches saw that too. Their feedback was good, but I didn’t think it would come so early. I figured it might happen after preseason next year. But I’m glad that I can go on vacation with such peace of mind, and I’ll be ready to go when camp kicks off.”
