CF Montréal has officially named Quebec native and Canadian men’s national team midfielder Samuel Piette as captain of the club.

The news comes ahead of CFMTL’s 2023 home opener against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, March 18th.

As per the club, Piette will serve as senior captain, while Victor Wanyama and Kamal Miller shall continue to serve as vice-captains.

“I am very proud of this title which indicates that I have the confidence of the Club, the head coach and the players,” Piette said in a press release.

“I want to continue to fulfill this role to the best of my ability to continue to push this team in the right direction, achieve new goals and continue to make fans proud of our team.”

Since arriving from Spanish club CD Izarra in August 2017, Piette has gone on to make 164 appearances in all competitions while getting his hands on two Canadian Championship titles.

The midfielder was one of six CF Montréal players in Qatar for Canada’s 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign, and is currently joint-ninth in the men’s national team’s all-time appearances list.

Despite a slow start to the 2023 campaign, which has seen CFMTL record zero points from a possible nine, new head coach Hernan Losada is confident that Piette can guide the club back on course.

“Samuel is a positive leader and an example to follow both on and off the field,” said Losada.

“He is the player who has the most minutes with the club now, which shows his loyalty and commitment to the organization. He is a disciplined player who leads by example and communicates very well with the whole group in several languages, which allows for a good atmosphere in the locker room.”

This bit of positive news should buoy Montréal ahead of their highly anticipated home opener, where Piette and co. will have all eyes on three points against the Union.