Arrived from France to study at the University of Montreal, the current head coach of the FC Laval had joined the team of that same university. He also played in senior AAA, which was the highest level in the province at the time.

His strong performance on the field earned him the title of Canadian University Player of the Year. Later, he joined the Trois-Rivières Attak, the defunct Montreal Impact (CF Montreal) academy club, with which he was crowned Canadian Soccer League champion in the role of captain.

He then retired to start his career on the sidelines, becoming assistant coach with the University of Montreal Carabins.

Local Development

Shortly after his start in coaching, Coulibaly was approached by Marinos Papageorgopoulos, current manager of the CF Montreal Academy, who managed the former club of Chomedey. This was part of the merger leading FC Laval’s creation.

“He brought me to work with the 2002–03 group,” Coulibaly explained.”I had the chance to work as I wanted, and to have complete trust in what I was doing. We took our time.”

He admits the results weren’t always there at first.

“Results weren’t fantastic, but the youngsters have to learn how to lose games,” he said. “It’s necessary, and it pays off when you’re taking the time, and let young athletes develop.”

That age group’s also an integral part of the title won this summer by the FC Laval, in the men’s section of the Première ligue de soccer du Québec.

“They’re young people with whom I have had the chance to work since they were 11 or 12 years old,

“These are young people with whom I have had the chance to work since they were 11 or 12 years old,” Coulibaly said. “If we’re looking at the reserve team, they’re second in their league. They’re young athletes who are extremely solid mentally, and it turned out as we hoped.”

Collaboration

In addition to working with the younger players, Coulibaly continued to coach with the Carabins for a few seasons, winning two university championships.

It allowed him to rub shoulders with certain players, such as Wandrille Lefebvre, who is part of the champion edition of the FC Laval.

He is now 100 per cent focused on the performance of Laval’s team, while continuing his work with the Carabins. He believes the success of his project is linked to his collaboration with the players.

“I know I wasn’t always easy to manage as a player, because I had in mind what I wanted to do,” he admitted, laughing. “Today, it reflects on my way of coaching. The players want to be in charge of the project in the same way as the coaches. That’s the vision that I try to put in place by including everyone in the process.”

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L’article Boubacar Coulibaly: The Man Behind FC Laval’s Success est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

The FC Laval had a 17-game unbeaten streak before losing for the first time against the CS Saint-Laurent. This result had the effect of closing the gap to one point between the two teams, which sit at the top of the circuit.

Laval currently leads the championship with 41 points, one more than the CS Saint-Laurent. The AS Blainville is also not far behind, with 38 points.

The FC Laval will have a difficult schedule to finish the year. They’ll face the U23 team of CF Montreal (5th), the CS Longueuil (4th) and the AS Blainville (3rd) for their next three games, and then complete the season with a Laval derby against the AS Laval.

“We want to have a full stadium,” said team’s general manager James Patsilivas. “It’s a big event for the club, the biggest post-pandemic. Many important members of Quebec soccer will be there. We want to showcase the team’s progress over the past two years.”

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L’article FC Laval: Ready to Welcome its Fans to the Top est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

“I think it’s a little bit arrogant to give a precise position, but we want to finish as high as possible in the standings this year,” said team’s head coach Boubacar Coulibaly. “Our goal is to take control of every game in order to win, and we’re not afraid of anyone in the league.”

The FC Laval lost its first 7 games last year, but concluded the season with 7 wins in its last 10 battles, while having one of the youngest rosters in the PLSQ.

“You have to give the players credit because they have developed much faster than what I was expecting,” Coulibaly said.

Laval’s team already made sure to make it a better start this season with a 1-1 draw against the Celtix du Haut-Richelieu in its opening game, before defeating the Royal-Sélect de Beauport 2-1. Coulibaly’s team showed resilience by scoring its two goals in the last five minutes of play.

“The content of our games is very satisfying,” the head coach ensures. “[…] We can’t ask for much more than what our players gave. I think the results should have favored us a bit more.”

Youth

At its beginning in 2021, the FC Laval had a plan in mind, which was to offer as much playing time as possible to its young athletes in order to help them climb the ladder of the soccer world.

Again this year, a dozen of players from the first team are aged from 18 to 20. They’re helped by a few veterans, including Wandrille Lefebvre, who played with the Montreal Impact (now CF Montréal) in the MLS, and Adama Makan Sissoko.

“The way they’re preparing for practices and matches is pushing our young players to pay attention and look at how we manage a week of work,” Coulibaly pointed out when talking about his two veterans. “They’re examples and models who want to get closer to our young players. We’re really lucky to have them.”

The presence of many young athletes also allows the Laval coach to establish a game system that puts a lot of pressure on the opposite team.

“We have a team with very technical players who are moving forward quickly,” he said. “We like to have the ball, but often, we’re going toward the offensive zone really quickly. Sometimes, we can also let them have the ball, and decide to go take it at a specific time in order to dictate the rhythm.”

New Arrival

The PLSQ is counting on 12 teams for the 2022 season. Among them, there’s the arrival of the CF Montréal reserve team, which is playing in the MLS.

“That arrival is a very good thing for us,” Coulibaly said. “It will be a young and well-organized team. It’s also a partner of the FC Laval. It will allow them to see that there are some good young players in the league.”

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L’article The FC Laval is Aiming for the Top for the 2022 Season est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.