CF Montréal have exercised the 2022 contract option on head coach Wilfried Nancy, the club announced Friday. Nancy's guaranteed contract only lasted through the 2021 season with a club option for next year.
Nancy was appointed head coach late last offseason just as CFM began preseason preparations, his promotion stemming from Thierry Henry stepping away due to family reasons.
The 44-year-old Nancy has impressed in these early days, picking up eight points after seven games despite being widely projected to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
"I'm making this decision now because I see the work he puts in every day, the playing philosophy during games, as well as the relationship between the players and the coaching staff, which has been very positive since day one,” sporting director Olivier Renard said in a club statement. “I am confident for the future."
Montréal have played out of a 3-5-2 formation, with new acquisition Djordje Mihailovic particularly impressing under Nancy. Their cohesion and chemistry have been impressive given the number of new signings, as combined with Nancy taking over on short notice.
Nancy worked his way up through the CF Montréal system, previously coaching in the club’s academy since its inception in 2011. During that time, he coached the U18 team, from 2011-13, the U21 team in 2014, and the U16 team in 2014 and 2015. He became an assistant with the first team in 2016.
Montréal face Chicago Fire FC on Saturday (1 pm ET | MLS Live on ESPN+) prior to MLS taking a brief break in action at the beginning of June.
