CF Montreal acquires Canadian midfielder Johnston from Nashville SC

The midfielder’s skills contributed to a Nashville defense that allowed a minimum of 33 MLS goals in 34 games in 2021.

Postmedia can earn an affiliate commission for purchases made through our links on this page.

Article content

CF Montréal gave soccer fans an early Christmas present by acquiring Canadian midfielder Alistair Johnston from MLS Nashville SC.

Article content

CFM sent Nashville $ 1 million in general allocation money distributed over the next two years, and Nashville will also receive 10 percent of any future transfer fees for Johnston.

MLSsoccer.com insider Tom Bogert tweeted that Johnston has agreed to a contract extension with CF Montreal.

The 23-year-old midfielder joined the men’s national team after attending training camp in January and became a key component in the team’s bid for a World Cup spot. He made 18 appearances with 16 starts.

Johnston, who is bilingual, was born in Vancouver, but began playing soccer at age four with Lakeshore SC on West Island. His family moved to Toronto when he was seven and played youth soccer in Aurora.

He played two seasons with St. John’s University in New York before transferring to Wake Forest in North Carolina for greater athletic and academic opportunities. Nashville SC selected him 13th overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. Over two MLS seasons, he appeared in 44 regular-season games with 39 starts and started five postseason games.

Johnston’s skills contributed to a defense that allowed a minimum of 33 MLS goals in 34 games in 2021. He offers CFM manager Wilfried Nancy some versatility because he can play in midfield or as a right central defender in the system. of three defenses used in Montreal. .

[email protected]

twitter.com/zababes1