Laurent Ciman joins CF Montreal as an assistant coach

TORONTO, Canada—Laurent Ciman is heading back to his former stomping grounds.

On Wednesday, CF Montreal announced that the ex-Toronto FC centreback would be joining their first team as an assistant coach.

“We are very happy that Laurent is joining the coaching staff and that he is back with the Club,” said CF Montréal sporting director Olivier Renard in a press release. “It is a logical and beneficial association, especially knowing the attachment Laurent has always had for this Club and this city. We can now count on his experience after a fruitful career in Europe, in MLS, and on the international stage.”

“I’m very happy to be back home,” added Laurent Ciman. “It’s been my wish for a long time, and this is a great opportunity for myself and my family. I just want to contribute to the Club’s growth.”

Ciman, 35, spent the last two seasons in Toronto, appearing in 29 matches with 19 starts. Prior to his time spent with the Reds, the French-speaking defender had successful stints with Los Angeles FC and of course Montreal, where he’d go on to be named the MLS Defender of the Year and to the MLS Best XI in 2015.

Now he returns, this time as a member of Thierry Henry’s the CF Montreal coaching staff.

In total, the former Belgian international spent six seasons in MLS for a total of 136 regular season games, including 126 starts, adding 11,361 playing minutes, and tallying five goals and four assists.

For what it’s worth, Ciman was often praised for his ability to keep things light in training. By all accounts, he exemplified what it meant to be a true professional and was a strong leader for the Reds (on and off the field) during his time in Toronto. We at Waking the Red wish him nothing but the best—except when he faces TFC, of course.

Toronto FC officially re-signed centre-back Eriq Zavaleta and left-back Justin Morrow on Tuesday.