CF Montreal | Jonathan Sirois or the art of having your heart on your glove

If someone throws flowers at Jonathan Sirois, he will catch them first. He will then distribute them, until there are none left for him.

Throughout the phone interview with La Presse, the 21-year-old goalkeeper consistently attributes his successes to others. His altruism is disconcerting.

His strong performance against Austin FC in the second game of the campaign? It is explained by “the good preparation of the coaches”. His composure and ease in front of the net since taking over as a starter? He owes them “to the confidence” that head coach Hernán Losada and the club’s vice-president and chief sports officer, Olivier Renard, have shown him. The joy that animates him before the matches? “My parents remind me every game day to have fun. »

We thought we could finally get him talking about himself when he was asked about his first minutes in MLS, obtained against Inter Miami in the first game of the campaign. He came on as a replacement for James Pantemis, who was injured.

The one who spent the last two seasons on loan with Valor FC in the Canadian Premier League (PLC), where he was notably elected goalkeeper of the circuit in his first campaign, then inherited the title of holder.

After the encounter, head coach Hernán Losada spoke of an absence that could last two to four weeks, or even six weeks, for Pantemis. This week, on BPM Sports, sporting director Olivier Renard slipped that the club was still waiting for results, “but [that] Pantemis could be out for several months”.

A news that does not upset anything in the daily life of the jailer. Sirois’ goal this season was to “prove” his worth as a backup goaltender. So he does not take this starting position for granted, far from it.

Since Clément Diop took the job from Evan Bush at the end of the 2019 season, no goalkeeper has been able to establish himself as an indisputable starting goalkeeper. In the meantime, Diop, Sebastian Breza and Pantemis momentarily had the starting keeper tag, but they never stuck for more than a season.

Sirois could then win thanks to the recent combination of circumstances. However, the main interested party does not wish to engage in a fight against Pantemis.

Although he admits to being “satisfied” with his performance since he was dropped into the starting position, the Saint-Hubert athlete is aware that he can “do everything better”.

Sirois sometimes confesses to “allowing himself to dream” and thinking about his medium to long term goals. However, he forces himself to have his feet on the ground to achieve his goals. “It’s the goal of all goaltenders to one day be an established number one. If I manage to establish myself as number one here in Montreal, so much the better, if it’s elsewhere, it will be elsewhere. »

In the meantime, Sirois wants to be a pleasant comrade to be around and a brave soldier that his teammates and coaches can rely on. “I will do everything for the team. I don’t necessarily play for myself. I play for people who have sacrificed so much to get me here. Ultimately, I play a lot for the fans. I work a lot to make it look on and off the pitch. »

Jonathan Sirois will be able to hear his name acclaimed by CFM fans for the first time on Saturday night, when the Bleu-blanc-noir will make its Montreal comeback at Olympic Stadium against the Philadelphia Union. Despite his selflessness and his modesty, we wish him to be able to savor his first professional minutes in front of his family and friends.