The year 2023 of Jonathan Sirois will have been that of confirmation. The 22-year-old goalkeeper proved that the hopes placed in him by CF Montreal were justified when he established himself as the club’s starter. Now, the Impact puts him under a long-term contract and comes to recognize his work.
Sirois and the Bleu-blanc-noir have agreed on the terms of a three-year contract. The pact also comes with an option year in 2027. The Montreal club made the announcement on Tuesday morning.
After two successful seasons in the Canadian Premier League, where he was on loan to make his debut, the Quebecer started the season with one goal: to “prove himself as a second”. He finally proved himself as a starter and heart of the Montreal defense.
James Pantemis’ injury in the first game of the campaign dropped Sirois into the starting XI. His performances then allowed him to stay there even after the return of his compatriot. He started all the games that followed, with the exception of two games where the club wanted to rest him.
“Jonathan is the prototype player reflecting what the club wants to train in our Academy,” said CFM Vice-President and Chief Sporting Officer Olivier Renard of the goalkeeper who has been with the team since 2015.
It’s a win-win transaction. The CFM could activate an option year at the end of this season and therefore have Sirois at a low price for another year – the jailer makes $89,780 this season, only four players on the team make less.
Even if the sum has not been revealed, we can guess that it is a considerable salary increase for one who grew up in Saint-Hubert. At the same time, it is job security for the first time in his career.
In return, Montreal secures the services of the goalkeeper for a few years, before he joins the national team and takes on more prestige. Incidentally, he avoids a situation where Sirois could leave Montreal as a free agent or fierce negotiations.
Thus Olivier Renard concluded his statement in the press release. This season, we have seen several strengths in the game of Sirois, including his tenacity and his bravery.
The goalkeeper is among the MLS leaders for the number of actions in his box, a testament to his recklessness, and has made more saves than advanced statistics predict. He has also built a long list of parades that will allow him to offer a beautiful video of highlights.
However, there is always room for improvement. Sirois’ reminders can get better and, above all, he must gain experience over the matches.
Sirois himself had conceded that the match against the Mexican club Pumas UNAM, at the end of July at the Saputo stadium, was beneficial to him. It was an emotional duel both on the field and in the stands as the Mexican supporters made their presence known.
“I take [games like these] with open arms because it’s games like this that grow, both for my emotional control and game management. So the more games like this I can play, the better,” he said after the game.
There was also the final of the Canadian Championship, where despite a superb performance by Sirois, he offered the Vancouver Whitecaps the first goal of the game by not reading the situation correctly. A game that perfectly illustrated the cruelty of sport.
All in all, there is a lot of good in Sirois’ game. What’s more, the goalkeeper has just turned 22. If his ascent has only just begun, as Renard wishes, this will not be the only contract that will be granted to him, whether here or elsewhere.
