The Montreal Impact have parted ways with head coach Remi Garde, the club announced Wednesday and named former Houston Dynamo manager Wilmer Cabrera as his replacement.
Cabrera was let go by the Dynamo last week. Garde had been in charge of the Impact since the 2018 season, compiling a 24-29-8 record including 10-13-4 this season. The club have won one of their last eight league matches and are currently in a three-way tie on points for the seventh and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Currently, Montreal hold the seventh spot via the first tiebreak of total wins (10).
“Because I have so much respect for Rémi as a person and as a professional, it was a very difficult decision to make and it was well thought, but our latest series of failures in the past couple of months and the way the team acts on the field led to that change,” Impact president and CEO Kevin Gilmore said in a club statement. “We hope to bring back confidence to this group of players for the last stretch of the season, to get a playoff spot and to perform in the Canadian Championship final. I would like to sincerely thank Rémi Garde for his commitment and his professionalism with our club since he joined in November 2017. I wish him only but the best in the future.”
The Impact tied their last match 3-3 against FC Dallas, after taking a 3-0 lead at home.
New Impact boss Wilmer Cabrera will inherit Remi Garde's staff. | USA Today Images
Assistant coach Wilfried Nancy and goalkeeper coach Remy Vercoutre will remain on Cabrera’s staff. Patrice Bernier will also join the first team technical staff as an assistant coach, while assistant coach Joel Bats and fitness coach Robert Duverne will not remain with the Impact.
Cabrera, 51, took over the Dynamo heading into the 2017 season, when helped the team reach its first postseason since 2014. Houston won the 2018 U.S. Open Cup under Cabrera, but missed the postseason last year and were again outside the playoff places when Cabrera was let go earlier in August. He had a 32-39-22 record as Dynamo boss in MLS play.
Garde is the sixth head coach to be let go this season. The record number of permanent coaches to depart in a calendar year is nine, set in 2018.