The difference between Opoku and Sunusi, the debuts of Streit and Losenko, and what’s next for Owen

CF Montreal suffered a severe defeat on Saturday night in San Diego. The Montrealers have not really started their season as hoped. Everyone will have to be better next Saturday in Chicago to avoid suffering a second defeat in eight days. The guys resumed training on Tuesday in California, but the team will travel to Chicago late this afternoon for their game on Saturday afternoon.
A big and decisive weekend awaits Marco Donadel and his men. Luca Saputo's spirit and transparency Last Friday, I had the opportunity to chat for about 30 minutes with the architect of the Montreal squad. Luca was frank and direct before I even had a chance to open my mouth:

“Max, ask me any questions you want. Don't be shy. I have nothing to hide and I'll tell you everything I can.” – Luca Saputo

Yes, the vibe has definitely changed since the arrival of Alexandre Panneton and Hassoun Camara. The various key players in the organization are now allowed, even encouraged, to be transparent when they talk to us. Marco Donadel, Samuel Piette, Prince Owusu, Philippe Eullaffroy, Luca Saputo… The conversations we have had with members of the organization over the past few months have been much more interesting and informative.
On Saturday morning, I published the first of three articles written following my interview with the senior director of recruitment and sports methodology at CF Montreal. We discussed the plan with Ivan Jaime, what kept Christian Benteke away from Montreal, Luca Petrasso's health, and a false rumor involving Olger Escobar. Let's pick up where we left off on Saturday…

Mahala Opoku and Sunusi Ibrahim, two different cases
The years go by and remain the same for Mahala Opoku and Sunusi Ibrahim. The games come one after another, and both Opoku and Sunusi play very little.
Opoku has seen his playing time decrease year after year. Since 2022, he has gone from 1,770 minutes to 1,183, then to 936, 515, and 188. No, injuries alone cannot explain everything.
Sunusi, meanwhile, played only 70 minutes last year, even though he was healthy.
Why are these guys playing so little while remaining on the team? Why weren't they persuaded to leave despite their contracts, as was done with Tom Pearce and Matias Coccaro in recent months?

“These are two very different cases. Mahala has integrated well into the team, he fights for his minutes, he's in impressive physical condition, and he has the respect of everyone around him. He's fully part of the group, and it's up to him to convince Marco that he's a good option on the field.”

The more time I spend around the team, the more I realize that Marco Donadel doesn't make his decisions based on each player's contract. The salary written on a piece of paper or in the corner of a check doesn't factor into the coach's equation when it comes to putting together his starting XI.

I saw Mahala Opoku dominate training sessions with the starting XI during the offseason. It was immediately apparent that he was a cut above pretty much everyone else on the field. It's up to him to adapt to Marco Donadel's instructions and principles of play and make a difference when he's called upon to enter a game.

What about Sunusi?

“Sunusi, as I told you from the outset, is a different case.”

Luca Saputo didn't want to say any more, but seeing Sunusi lagging behind in a running drill at Marie-Victorin – coupled with the fact that he wasn't even on the bench last Saturday in California – gives me a good idea of the situation. Except that, as an agent once told me, it takes two to tango when it comes to breaking or buying out a contract. The player has to make an effort too.

What role for Ivan Losenko?
Marco Donadel has often said that Ivan Losenko is a project. A real project that will obviously take time.

And Luca Saputo said much the same thing when I spoke to him about Losenko.

“It was planned from the start: Losenko wasn't going to play in the first game. He speaks little English, and the long trips in MLS are a challenge for new young players coming from Europe. He represents a project for us this season. We hope that the presence of another Ukrainian on the team will make it easier for him to adapt. He's actually sharing a room with Henna on the road. “ – Luca Saputo

Luca didn't say it, but it's easy to understand that the integration of Hennadii Synchuk, who found himself quite alone last year in Montreal, was not easy. Especially since Synchuk had to deal with injuries…

Will Losenko get any playing time in 2026? If so, what role can we expect him to play?

“We believe Losenko will be able to contribute by the end of the season, but we're going to be patient. We're not going to rush anything.”

I had the chance to see Losenko at Marie-Victorin, and he seems very technically sound to me. He clearly has good connecting skills on the field. However, Luca Saputo is right: Losenko will need time to adapt to the reality and pace of MLS.

Will Noah Streit play soon?
Listening to Luca Saputo talk about Ivan Losenko, I thought to myself that if patient adaptation was necessary for 21-year-old Ivan Losenko, then such patient adaptation would also be necessary for 20-year-old Noah Streit.

“Noah will also need to adapt to North American soccer. He has many qualities and we are confident in his potential here. It was Montreal that identified and observed him, not Bologna. We asked for the opinion of a scout there who knows Swiss soccer well, but ultimately, we believe he has everything it takes to succeed in MLS. Contrary to what has been reported by some media outlets, Streit is a transfer. He did not come here as a free agent.” – Luca Saputo

If I had to take a guess, I'd say Noah Streit has a better chance of playing before Ivan Losenko than the other way around, but that's just my gut feeling from a distance. Don't take it as gospel.

To what extent is Bologna involved in Montreal's recruitment?
When Luca Saputo gave details about the recruitment of Noah Streit, I wanted to know in general how most of the recruitment at CF Montreal works. Who identifies the players? Who makes suggestions? We often work in collaboration with Bologna, and we also often ask Marco Donadel for his opinion towards the end of the process, when there are only two or three players left on the list. All of this year's recruitment has been done in collaboration with Bologna, and we also often ask Marco Donadel for his opinion towards the end of the process, when there are only two or three players left on the list. We often work in collaboration with Bologna, and we also frequently ask Marco Donadel for his opinion toward the end of the process, when there are only two or three players left on the list. All of this year's recruitment was done by the Montreal department. We have two recruiters (Raffaele Frassetti and Antonio Bruzzese), my brother and me. And as I told you, we often involve the Bologna staff and Marco Donadel to complete the process.” – Luca Saputo

The end of the Alessandro Biello adventure
A few days after the end of the season, we learned that CF Montréal had not activated its option on Alessandro Biello, but that the club had invited him to participate in the team's 2026 training camp to prove that he deserves a new contract.

However, Biello decided to sign a new contract with FC Supra, thereby declining CF Montréal's invitation. What exactly happened to lead to this scenario?

“It's simple, Max. Two years ago, we offered him the chance to play for Bologna's second team in Primavera, like Jesse Saputo and Antoine N'Diaye. We didn't see him playing many minutes in the first team here in his first season. He was still very young. He said no. We looked to the CPL for a loan and several teams were interested. It was Alessandro himself who decided to go to Halifax in his second year. It was his choice. We then made the decision not to activate his option. It was a decision 100% dictated by soccer and the amount of his option. We would have liked to see him in preseason, but we understand and respect his decision. We wish him the best of luck with Supra.”

Owen Graham-Roache, the next player loaned to the CPL?
When I look at FC Supra's roster, one thing stands out: they still need one or two forwards to ensure they are competitive in their first year in the CPL.

And when CF Montreal signed Daniel Rios, I quickly realized that Owen Graham-Roache would once again have limited playing time this year. Personally, I don't think Owen is ready to play 1,000 minutes in MLS either. He's good in training, but he's not yet able to impose himself on the defenders he plays against.

The fact that the club agreed to loan him to the Canadian U20 team, unlike Aleksandr Guboglo, also makes me think that the club doesn't necessarily need Owen this season, at least not until the World Cup.

Why not loan him to FC Supra? It would be a win-win, a good fit, right? He would have an important role to play and get quality minutes.

“For now, we prefer to have Owen with us. I know it's important for a young player's development to play, but Owen can learn a lot from veterans like Prince and Dany in Montreal. Marco really sees great potential in Owen, and playing for a coach who believes in you is good for your development. We can play with two forwards against certain tactical schemes or when we're chasing a goal at the end of the game. For all these reasons, we believe that Owen is better off with us for now.” – Luca Saputo

Please note that this article is the second in a series of three that I will be writing following my interview with Luca Saputo. In the coming days, we will be discussing the Nutrilait Center and the future of the franchise in Montreal. Stay tuned.