Newly arrived in the city of 100 steeples, Fernando Álvarez already seems to have grasped everything he needs to know about CF Montreal.
“The team plays with three centre-backs. This is verified information. “This club doesn’t care if you’re 15 or 40. If you’re good and ready to play, he’ll let you play. Also true.
But above all: “The club presents a good project. He managed to sell players in Europe and that’s why I wanted to join. “Again, that’s fair from the centre-back who has obviously done his homework well.
The New York native therefore arrived in Montreal knowingly. Acquired from Pachuca a few days before the transfer window closed – for a sum of around $1 million – the southpaw comes at an opportune time.
After being limited to just one professional start with the Mexican club, Álvarez was able to shine at the Under-20 World Cup with Colombia. The 19-year-old will want to continue this fine progression under Hernán Losada, who is looking for a new starter in his central hinge after the departure of Rudy Camacho.
He says he’ll be ready to fill any position his instructor asks him to, even “goalkeeper” or “striker”. When he sees that Montreal has been shut out in 12 of their 23 MLS games this season, he may regret that sentence…
Regardless, his goal will be to get a job and take advantage of the showcase the Impact offers to showcase himself. However, he does not want to put pressure on himself and establish a timetable on a possible departure in a more prestigious championship.
“I don’t know if it will be in six months, in a year or in two years. I can’t answer that question, but I’ll try to do my best,” he notes.
One thing is certain, when he hits the field, his performances will be watched, given his high potential.
“There were a lot of clubs on him. Including several in Europe in particular, so we will give him time, said the vice-president and chief sports officer of Bleu-blanc-noir, Olivier Renard. We are very happy with his arrival. »
Besides the arrival of striker Kwadwo Opoku, Montreal essentially let go of an established central defender for a counterpart who is a rookie. Camacho’s fate was therefore linked to that of Álvarez, as confirmed by Renard.
“We made a choice as a club. [The sum] that we were able to recover in the transaction [de Camacho] and in salary savings made it possible to reimburse two thirds of the transfer of Álvarez, ”specifies the Belgian.
Like the scene where Indiana Jones replaces a statuette with a sandbag in Raiders of the Lost Ark, one might think that the transaction is a little four thirty cents for a dollar. A central defender arrives and another leaves.
Except that the one who left the club was still the one who played as a libero and who was playing a fabulous campaign. The nerve of the war was that at the end of the season, the 32-year-old French defender was a free agent and Montreal didn’t want to lose him for nothing. What’s more, the Impact had received two offers for Camacho.
“[Rudy] had asked us for permission to leave Montreal, if he ever agreed with a club [for a future contract]. He was given all three choices, actually. We said to him: “You can stay here, we are very happy with you until the end of the season, and then we will see what we do for the next seasons.” But we also gave him the choice to speak with both clubs and that’s what he did,” Renard said.
Ultimately, Camacho chose to commit to the Columbus Crew and reconnect with his former head coach in Montreal, Wilfried Nancy.
“We are ready to be able to say thank you to Rudy for what you have done and good luck,” summed up the boss of the Montreal club.
In the short term, whoever has to step into Camacho’s boots will have a heavy order. Whether it’s George Campbell, Robert Thorkelsson, Ousman Jabang or Álvarez. Because all of a sudden, the Impact has jeopardized its greatest strength, its defence. The new partner of Joel Waterman and Gabriele Corbo will have to be ready.
With three weeks off, Álvarez and his new teammates hope to find the winning recipe in training to keep that strength going and be ready for the playoff race.
