CF Montréal coach out

CF Montréal fired head coach Marco Donadel on Sunday, less than six months after giving him the job permanently. (cfmontreal.com 1) (cfmontreal.com 2) The club said the move took effect immediately and named academy director Philippe Eullaffroy to run the first team on an interim basis. Assistant coaches Jacopo Falanga and Lorenzo Pinzauti were also dismissed. (cfmontreal.com) The firing came one day after Montréal lost 2-1 to the Philadelphia Union in its April 11 home opener at Stade Saputo. The defeat left the club at 1 win and 6 losses through seven Major League Soccer matches. (espn.ph) (cfmontreal.com) Donadel had been hired permanently on October 21, 2025 after taking over as interim coach on March 24, 2025, when Laurent Courtois was fired five matches into last season. Club executive Luca Saputo said in October that Montréal believed Donadel had “the right abilities” to lead the team forward. (cfmontreal.com) (mlssoccer.com) (montrealgazette.com) That vote of confidence lasted through an offseason rebuild that brought in players including Tomás Avilés, Wiki Carmona, Daniel Ríos, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Brayan Vera. Major League Soccer’s season preview said Montréal was trying to climb the Eastern Conference after missing the 2025 playoffs. (mlssoccer.com 1) (mlssoccer.com 2) Instead, Montréal opened 2026 with six losses in seven league games, with its only win a 3-0 result against the New York Red Bulls. La Presse reported Donadel’s record across all competitions was 9 wins, 10 draws and 23 losses in 42 matches. (espn.ph) (lapresse.ca) The timing also fit a pattern at the club. Courtois was fired on March 24, 2025 after a 0-4-1 start, and Donadel was dismissed on April 12, 2026 after another early-season slide. (montrealgazette.com) (lapresse.ca) Donadel’s ties to Montréal ran deeper than the bench. The Italian played for the club from 2015 to 2018 and returned as an assistant coach on December 29, 2024 before moving into the top job three months later. (cfmontreal.com) Montréal now turns to Eullaffroy, at least temporarily, with another home match against the New York Red Bulls scheduled for April 18. The club changed coaches in April for the second straight season; this time, it did so after seven games instead of five. (cfmontreal.com) (montrealgazette.com)