MONTREAL – Already viewed as part of the future of Canada’s national team, Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé is now seeing his first extended action with his club.
The 19-year-old got his first MLS starts for the Montreal Impact in their last two games – first in midfield in a 2-1 loss to the New England Revolution on Sept. 13 and then at left back in a 2-0 win Saturday over the San Jose Earthquakes. While midfield is where the Homegrown player has been positioned throughout his youth career, left back is where he’s mostly played for national team head coach Benito Floro.
“I’ve played [midfield] almost all my young career, since I was 12, 13 years old,” Gagnon-Laparé told reporters after the San Jose game. “It’s a more natural position for me. As it happens sometimes, you need to adjust quickly and that’s what happened tonight.”
The adjustment was seamless.
Earlier this year, Gagnon-Laparé started at left back in Canada’s 1-1 draw May 27 against Moldova. Though he played no part in Canada’s 3-1 win against Jamaica on Sept. 9, Gagnon-Laparé played left back in training throughout the camp.
Chances are Impact head coach Frank Klopas will contribute to Gagnon-Laparé’s transition, though removing him from midfield altogether seems farfetched. Not only has Klopas spoken to Floro about what Gagnon-Laparé’s best position is, but he is evidently high on the youngster.
“For a player his age to show so much composure, maturity and confidence, it was great to see. The games that he’s played, he’s been fantastic,” Klopas said postgame, referencing not just his two league starts but also his play in midfield in a 1-0 CONCACAF Champions League win Sept. 17 against New York.
Added Gagnon-Laparé: “Right now, it’s going well, so obviously [Floro] will be glad to see I’m getting playing time at [left back] because he knows that next time – if I go back to the national team – I’ll have improved the fundamentals.”
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Wandrille Lefèvre, who has seen the most minutes of Montreal’s eight Homegrown players and himself moved from his natural central midfield role to center back, was mainly impressed by Gagnon-Laparé's reading of the play. Lefèvre thinks it will help Gagnon-Laparé's position switch.
“Sometimes, I’d see the ball come and ask myself, ‘What’s going on?’ But he wouldn’t; he chests it, put it on the floor, and the quality of his first pass out of the back is better than average due to his midfield background,” Lefèvre said. “He put some good balls in on the wings, in the middle, diagonals. His play is technically expansive enough that he can do well.”
