The CF Montreal exchanged defender Joel Waterman at the Chicago Fire, learned The press.
The news was first reported in the morning on X by informant Maxime Truman. It was confirmed to The press by a source involved in the file.
In return, the CFM would obtain an amount in general allowance (GAM), which has not been revealed.
In accordance with their policies, the two clubs await the approval of the MLS before officially announcing the transaction.
Joel Waterman, although in health, was absent from the last CFM match last Saturday at the Saputo stadium. Tuesday morning, several media observers also noticed his absence in the training of the club, at the Center Nutriit.
This transfer occurs while the CF Montreal works to rebuild its workforce during the MLS summer transfers window. Obviously, the club made the calculation that Joel Waterman was no longer part of the long -term solution.
What surprises all the same, in the context where Waterman signed an extension of the three -season contract, in addition to a year of option for 2028, last November. But at that time, former head coach Laurent Courtois saw him as a seat stone of his leaders staff, who had even considered his captain-to the detriment of Samuel Piette-at the start of the 2024 season.
Meanwhile, the 2025 club season has proven catastrophic. The year of Waterman, too, was complicated. Two red cards in two home games, in particular, were the protruding facts of a campaign essentially to forget for him.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Joel Waterman (left)
Member of the group of leaders, his attitude towards his teammates in moments of crisis often seemed to make them carry the odious of a difficult match, while he himself did not perform at the height of expectations. Even if, in the context of this disastrous Montreal season, he is not the only one to have disappointed.
That said, Joel Waterman experienced a very good ascent in Montreal, to the point of making it a regular of Canada under Jesse Marsch, recently. Arrived at the impact in 2020 as the first player making the jump of the first Canadian league (PLC) to the MLS, he evolved and improved gradually, each season.
In Chicago, he will have to make his place under Gregg Berhalter, former coach of the United States. The training of the city of winds currently holds on the 9the And last rank giving access to the MLS series.