MONTREAL – FC Montreal announced on Tuesday the roster for its second USL season, which will start on Friday, March 25, against Bethlehem Steel FC, at 7pm, at the Olympic Stadium.
Former U18 players James Pantemis, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère and David Choinière have signed a USL contract and will join the team for the beginning of the season.
The group is composed of 22 Canadians, one Swiss and two Cameroonians. The majority of the players are coming from the development system of the Montreal Impact Academy.
The team will be coached by head coach and Academy director Philippe Eullaffroy. Simon Gatti will be his assistant, Jack Stern will be goalkeeper coach and Benoit Deplagne, who recently joined the club, will be fitness coach of the team.
GOALKEEPERS: James Pantemis, David Paulmin, Luca Leone
DEFENDERS: Janouk Charbonneau, Jems Geffrard, Zachary Sukunda, Mélé Temguia, Nevello Yoseke, Simon Lemire, Aron Mkungilwa, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère
MIDFIELDERS: Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, Alessandro Riggi, Marco Dominguez, Mastanabal Kacher, Yacine Ait Slimane, Fabio Morelli, Fabrice Mbvouvouma, Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla, Heikel Jarras, Louis Béland-Goyette, Samuel Duffek, David Choinière
FORWARDS: Jacques Haman, Charles Joly
“We believe in our development system, our playing identity and the identity of the club, so having a large majority of players developed at the club in the USL roster is simply logical for what we aim for: bringing a maximum of players as close as possible to the first-team level,” said head coach Philippe Eullaffroy.
First-team players could be added to the roster for certain games, should the MLS team coaching staff want to give players some playing time and help injured players recover their fitness.
Once again, the team will be one of the youngest in the league with 11 players not yet in their twenties. Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla, aged only 16, will be the youngest player in the team.
“We are a really young team, but the 2015 experience will help the whole group to perform better earlier in the season,” added Eullaffroy. “The cohesion, a result of the players sharing the same DNA, will help make up for this lack of experience. We aim to be in the playoff race this year.”
In its first-ever USL season, FC Montreal finished in 10th position in the Eastern Conference with an 8-16-4 record. After a rough start, the club’s second team got good results in the middle of the season, with a series of six wins in eight games. During the season, the team, already the youngest in the league, signed eight U18 players.
Winger Alessandro Riggi scored nine goals and got two assists, finishing the season as the best scorer of the team and 14th-best in the USL. Throughout the year, FC Montreal players won USL Team of the Week honours on 16 occasions.
You can follow FC Montreal on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
<strong>No.</strong> |
<strong>LAST NAME</strong> |
<strong>FIRST NAME</strong> |
<strong>POS.</strong> |
<strong>AGE<br>
(on Feb. 29)</strong> |
<strong>NATIONALITY</strong> |
<strong>FORMER CLUB</strong> |
<p align="right">41</p> |
<p>Pantemis</p> |
<p>James</p> |
<p>GK</p> |
<p align="right">19</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Lakeshore</p> |
<p align="right">70</p> |
<p>Paulmin</p> |
<p>David</p> |
<p>GK</p> |
<p align="right">20</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>AS St-Eustache</p> |
<p align="right">65</p> |
<p>Leone</p> |
<p>Luca</p> |
<p>GK</p> |
<p align="right">22</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Brampton United</p> |
<p align="right">66</p> |
<p>Charbonneau</p> |
<p>Janouk</p> |
<p>D</p> |
<p align="right">20</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>AS Hull</p> |
<p align="right">69</p> |
<p>Geffrard</p> |
<p>Jems</p> |
<p>D</p> |
<p align="right">21</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>CS Rivière-des-Prairies</p> |
<p align="right">73</p> |
<p>Sukunda</p> |
<p>Zachary</p> |
<p>D</p> |
<p align="right">20</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>AS Hull</p> |
<p align="right">74</p> |
<p>Temguia</p> |
<p>Mélé</p> |
<p>D</p> |
<p align="right">20</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Verts de Sherbrooke</p> |
<p align="right">42</p> |
<p>Yoseke</p> |
<p>Nevello</p> |
<p>D/M</p> |
<p align="right">19</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Fury d’Ottawa</p> |
<p align="right">44</p> |
<p>Lemire</p> |
<p>Simon</p> |
<p>D</p> |
<p align="right">19</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Verts de Sherbrooke</p> |
<p align="right">59</p> |
<p>Mkungilwa</p> |
<p>Aron</p> |
<p>D</p> |
<p align="right">19</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>CS Longueuil</p> |
<p align="right">64</p> |
<p>Meilleur-Giguère</p> |
<p>Thomas</p> |
<p>D</p> |
<p align="right">18</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Arsenal de l’Assomption</p> |
<p align="right">46</p> |
<p>Lincourt-Joseph</p> |
<p>Philippe</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">21</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>FC Boisbriand</p> |
<p align="right">49</p> |
<p>Riggi</p> |
<p>Alessandro</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">22</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Conquérants de Laval</p> |
<p align="right">50</p> |
<p>Dominguez</p> |
<p>Marco</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">20</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Braves d’Ahuntsic</p> |
<p align="right">53</p> |
<p>Kacher</p> |
<p>Mastanabal</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">20</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Lakeshore</p> |
<p align="right">57</p> |
<p>Ait Slimane</p> |
<p>Yacine</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">20</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>CS Longueuil</p> |
<p align="right">72</p> |
<p>Morelli</p> |
<p>Fabio</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">20</p> |
<p>Switzerland</p> |
<p>FC Neuchâtel</p> |
<p align="right">43</p> |
<p>Mbvouvouma</p> |
<p>Fabrice</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">18</p> |
<p>Cameroon</p> |
<p>Rainbow FC</p> |
<p align="right">54</p> |
<p>Tabla</p> |
<p>Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">16</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Panellinios</p> |
<p align="right">48</p> |
<p>Jarras</p> |
<p>Heikel</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">19</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Phénix des Rivières</p> |
<p align="right">58</p> |
<p>Béland-Goyette</p> |
<p>Louis</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">20</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Lakeshore</p> |
<p align="right">61</p> |
<p>Duffek</p> |
<p>Samuel</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">19</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>CS Longueuil</p> |
<p align="right">67</p> |
<p>Choinière</p> |
<p>David</p> |
<p>M</p> |
<p align="right">19</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>Celtix Haut-Richelieu</p> |
<p align="right">47</p> |
<p>Haman</p> |
<p>Jacques</p> |
<p>F</p> |
<p align="right">21</p> |
<p>Cameroon</p> |
<p>Coton Sport de Garoua</p> |
<p align="right">63</p> |
<p>Joly</p> |
<p>Charles</p> |
<p>F</p> |
<p align="right">20</p> |
<p>Canada</p> |
<p>CS Repentigny</p> |
