MONTREAL – CF Montréal Academy defender Gaël De Montigny has been invited to the 2023 MLS NEXT All-Star Game to be played at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility on Wednesday, July 19, in Annapolis, Maryland. The match will be broadcast live at 10:30am EDT from the MLS NEXT's TikTok account.
The Montreal defender was selected from a pool of 44 rising stars within the league who will attend this second edition of the MLS NEXT All-Star Game.
The 17-year-old made his Pre-Academy debut in 2016 before joining the CF Montréal Academy. Since September 2021, he has been a part of the Academy's U17 squad which plays in MLS NEXT. Invited to train with the senior side on several occasions, he is set to join the Club's reserve team this summer. The left-footed defender was recently called up to the Canadian U17 national team, with whom he qualified for the upcoming World Cup in Indonesia (November 10 to December 2) following Canada’s performance at the Concacaf U17 Championship held last February in Guatemala.
“Gaël's selection for this All-Star Game is a great achievement for him,” said Academy U17 head coach Maxime Leconte. “He is a passionate, disciplined, hard-working player who is always listening and has technical, physical, and tactical qualities. He is on the right track, so it is well deserved and rewards his fine season. After performing well with us and the Canadian national team, he will be able to prove himself among the best youngsters of his age at this event and proudly represent the Club, which has great faith in him.”
The All-Star roster was selected by the MLS NEXT Player Selection Committee, made up of key members of the MLS Player Development Department, following the conclusion of the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase event.
To be eligible, players must be under the age of 18 (born in 2005 or earlier) and have participated in one of MLS NEXT's national events this season, including MLS NEXT Fest, MLS NEXT Flex, the Generation adidas Cup and the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and Showcase event.
Previously, CF Montréal Academy reserve defender Thomas Bouffard had represented Montreal at the 2022 All-Star Game.
