| Clubname: | CF Montréal U23 |
| Fullname: | CF Montréal U23 |
| Founded: | 2014 2020 (re-founded) |
| Stadium: | Centre Nutrilait |
| Owner: | Joey Saputo |
| Mgrtitle: | Head coach |
| Manager: | Patrick Viollat |
| League: | Ligue1 Québec |
| Season: | 2023 |
| Position: | L1Q, 5th |
| Current: | 2024 Ligue1 Québec season |
| Website: | https://en.cfmontreal.com/academy/ |
| Pattern B1: | _mtl23h |
| Pattern La1: | _mtl23h |
| Pattern Ra1: | _mtl23h |
| Pattern Sh1: | _adidasshortonblack |
| Pattern So1: | _color_3_stripes_grey |
| Leftarm1: | 034fdf |
| Body1: | 034fdf |
| Rightarm1: | 034fdf |
| Shorts1: | bcbcbc |
| Socks1: | 034fdf |
| Pattern La2: | _mtl2022a |
| Pattern B2: | _mtl2022a |
| Pattern Ra2: | _mtl2022a |
| Pattern Sh2: | _adidasshortblack |
| Pattern So2: | _3_stripes_black |
| Leftarm2: | B0B3B4 |
| Body2: | B0B3B4 |
| Rightarm2: | B0B3B4 |
| Shorts2: | B0B3B4 |
| Socks2: | B0B3B4 |
CF Montréal U23, formerly Montreal Impact U23, is a Canadian soccer team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that plays in Ligue1 Québec. They are the reserve club of Major League Soccer club CF Montréal and represent the highest team of the CF Montréal Academy. Previously known as Montreal Impact U23, in 2014, they played in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier. The team was replaced the following year with FC Montreal in the professional second-tier USL Pro. In 2020, it was announced that the U23 team would be re-started for the 2021 season.
From 2010 to 2012, the Montreal Impact Academy fielded their U21 team in the Canadian Soccer League, which was recognized as a tier 3 league in the Canadian soccer league system.[1] However, the team withdrew from the league prior to the 2013 season,[2] as the Canadian Soccer Association de-sanctioned the league as the CSA board of directors adopted a new soccer structure in Canada and also due to allegations of a match-fixing scandal.[3] [4] [5]
In 2014, the club decided to re-brand the team as a U23 team and entered the team into the Premier Development League, in the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system.[6] They played their first match on 17 May against the Westchester Flames, which they won by a score of 4–0.[7] [8] They finished the season in fourth place in the Northeast Division.[9]
In 2015, the Impact decided to form a reserve professional team in the second tier USL Pro called FC Montreal. As a result, the PDL team was disbanded with most of the players moving to the new pro reserve team.[10]
The club announced that they would reform a U23 team for the 2021 season.[11] [12] with Patrice Bernier serving as post-formation supervisor, where he will work primarily with the first team players in the U23 team.[13] Throughout the 2021 season, the U23s played friendlies against the teams in the Première ligue de soccer du Québec.[14] They joined the PLSQ as formal members in 2022.[15] [16] In July 2024, they announced they would disband the team and depart Ligue1 Quebec (the re-branded name of the PLSQ) at the end of the 2024 season.[17]
Year by year
| Year | Tier | League | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 4 | Premier Development League | 7–2–5 | 4th, Northeast | Did not qualify | — | |||||||||||||
| 2015-21 | On hiatus | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 3 | Première ligue de soccer du Québec | 12–2–8 | 6th | — | Did not qualify | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | 3 | Ligue1 Québec | 12–4–6 | 5th | — | First Round | |||||||||||||
The following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the CF Montreal U23 team: