Montreal Parts Ways with Head Coach Marco Donadeli
Canadian MLS club Montreal has dismissed head coach Marco Donadeli following the team's poor performance at the start of the 2026 season, as confirmed by the club's official website. Montreal currently sits at the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference, having secured just a single victory in their first seven regular-season matches. This move highlights the intense pressure for immediate results in North America's top soccer league.
Donadeli, a native of Conegliano and a product of AC Milan's youth system, took charge of Montreal in March 2025. Under his leadership, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in the 2025 season. His playing career included spells at several clubs:
- Lecce
- Parma
- Sampdoria
- Fiorentina
- Napoli
- Verona
- Montreal
He spent six years as a player with Fiorentina.
Coaching Career and Team Circumstances
Donadeli began his coaching career in 2019, working with Fiorentina's youth teams before serving as an assistant coach at Fiorentina and later at Moscow's Spartak. He had his first head coaching stint with Ancona from April to October 2023. At the start of 2025, he returned to Montreal as an assistant to Laurent Courtois before being promoted to the top job.
The Montreal squad features Ukrainian midfielder Hennadiy Synchuk, who has played in 6 matches this season. The club acquired Synchuk for €3.4 million in January 2025, and his contract runs until the end of 2028 with an option for an additional year. Ukrainian national team striker Vladyslav Vanat is also on the roster but has been ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury, with a recovery timeline estimated at 10-12 weeks.
In other Ukrainian player news, Ilya Zabarnyi has made a hundred appearances in the English and French top flights and played 50 matches in the Ukrainian Premier League.
Donadeli's firing has sent shockwaves through the fanbase and the organization, as the team's early-season form has fallen far short of expectations.
Montreal's situation reflects the common challenges faced by professional sports teams, particularly in the highly competitive MLS environment. The coaching change represents an attempt to address these issues and improve results for a fanbase demanding progress and stability. The new coach will also need to navigate the absence of key injured players like Vanat while steering the team's recovery in the remaining matches of the campaign.