CF Montréal GK Jonathan Sirois proud of earning dream CanMNT call-up: 'I hope this is just the start'
Ever since he was a youngster facing shots from various forwards in the Montréal region, young goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois had a dream - he’d one day play for Canada.
Even as he battled to make it as a professional for a boyhood club, CF Montréal, whose academy he joined back in 2015, Sirois always had an eye on one day repping the red and white of Canada.
And now, for the first time, he’s finally made that dream come true, as he was called into the CanMNT’s squad ahead of their crucial Copa América playoff against Trinidad & Tobago on March 23rd.
It took quite the journey to get there, one that included two years on loan in the Canadian Premier League, as well as a year of hard work as Montréal’s #1 after making the most of a surprise opportunity last year, but his persistence paid off in the end, allowing him to earn his first call-up of any kind to his country this past week.
“I’m very proud, but also very thankful. This was a goal I set for myself at the beginning of last year, and re-affirmed heading into this year,” Sirois told reporters in French.
“This is a dream come true for me, to be a part of this Canadian Men’s National Team, playing for your country is the biggest honour you can have as a professional, so I’m incredibly proud and thankful to get this chance.”
Fier et reconnaissant 👊
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) March 14, 2024
Jonathan Sirois sur sa première séléction avec @CanadaSoccerFR 🇨🇦@josirois1 on his first ever national team selection 🍁#CFMTL pic.twitter.com/lKy6peO8ak
Yet, after what he’s been able to accomplish over the last year, Sirois had become too hard to ignore as someone who could potentially help this Canadian side.
But that just shows how meteoric his rise has been since the start of 2023.
Supposed to only be Montréal’s “goalkeeper of the future” heading into his first full MLS season after his two stints in the CPL in 2021 and 2022, in which he was one of the best goalkeepers despite playing for a Valour team that missed the playoffs both years, sporadic minutes was all the 2021 CPL goalkeeper of the year was expected in the 2023 MLS season to earn as he transitioned to that next level.
Therefore, to see him earn his first MLS minutes in their season opener came quite ahead of schedule for him, as he was asked to deputize for the last seven minutes of their opening match against Miami after an injury to Montréal’s then-#1, James Pantemis.
Despite that, he did well in that limited opportunity, quickly impressing in his short time on the pitch.
As a result, with it being revealed that Pantemis’s injury would keep him out for a while, Sirois was given an extended opportunity to try and impress as a potential starting option.
To his credit, he certainly did that, too. Even as his team sputtered to a start that saw them lose six of their first seven games, with Sirois starting in five of those losses, he shone in those games, showing his potential despite being just 21 at the time.
Because of that, they stuck with him, and they were quickly rewarded for that faith, as he strung together four straight clean sheet wins in starts #7, #8, #9 and #10 of his young MLS career.
From that point on, he’d keep his spot even as Pantemis returned, and he’d go on to start 38 out of a possible 41 games for Montréal across all competitions, keeping 13 clean sheets along the way, showing that the goalkeeper of the future was already ready to take flight.
And so far, he’s kept that up heading into his second full MLS season. Through just three games, he’s been excellent once again, helping Montréal win two and draw one of their games, despite them all coming on the road, making some huge stops along the way.
New MLS season, same Jonathan Sirois, who kept a clean sheet as #CFMTL drew 0-0 with Orlando City
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) February 25, 2024
He made 4 saves on 1.26 xGOT today to help his team nab a point
After keeping 12 MLS clean sheets in 2023, the former #CanPL GK of the year is off to a good start in 2024
📸CFMTL pic.twitter.com/A2LNLh0yqo
Through that, along with his breakout 2023 season, interim CanMNT head coach, Mauro Biello, just couldn’t ignore the young keeper much longer, and decided to make the bold call to bring him in.
It wasn’t an easy decision for Biello to make, as he had to drop one of Canada’s co-captains, the 80-time capped Milan Borjan, to open up room for this call-up, but having seen how Sirois had knocked down the door with his performances, he couldn’t ignore him much longer.
"Jonathan's continued his great form, as after he had an excellent season last year, he's off to an excellent start this year," Biello told reports of Sirois this week. "He's been very impactful, he's a young goalkeeper, but he's making his mark in that league, so he merits this call."
So now, look for Sirois to push further into the Canadian fold, having finally earned the opportunity to impress decision-makers such as Biello in a camp setting.
He’s unlikely to see the net for Canada in the immediate future, with Maxime Crépeau and Dayne St.Clair set to battle for Borjan’s #1 place having already both earned caps in the past, but don’t count Sirois out in that race.
Just like with Montréal or Valour, when he’s given an opportunity, he’ll look to take it with both hands, showing why some view the now 22-year-old as Canada’s best long-term option in goal heading into the 2026 World Cup and beyond.
His meteoric rise in MLS play is just an example of that, and he’s certainly not done building on that, either.
“He’s been fantastic for us,” his Montréal teammate, and fellow Canadian call-up, Joel Waterman said this week. “I’ve seen him blossom and grow ever since he’s been here, and you can see that he deserves this call-up. You’ve seen from games he’s improved in every facet and made some huge timely saves for us. He couldn’t be more deserving of this call-up.”
1⃣ère convocation en équipe nationale 🇨🇦 pour Jonathan Sirois 👊@josirois1 is now a Canadian international player. 🔥#CFMTL pic.twitter.com/xCT9G39P2I
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) March 12, 2024
But while Sirois has long-term goals of wanting to wear the Canadian maple leaf as a starter in the future, perhaps at the 2026 World Cup, for now, he’s just looking to enjoy this first experience in a Canadian camp.
Having earned this honour as a reward for his strong performances, he knows that the hard work is only getting started if he’s to potentially accomplish a long-term goal like that.
Because of that, he’s eager to get into camp, put his head down, and make the most of this opportunity.
Then, from there, don’t be surprised to see him return in the future, as he pushes towards bigger and better things, continuing his quiet but steady rise through the ranks at the club level.
“It’s a big responsibility, especially for a game like this, but this is a nice reward for all of the work that I’ve done,” Sirois admitted.
“The performances I’ve put up since the start of last year, and since the start of this year, I think I’ve shown my quality, so to have this call-up is a nice tap on the back that says I’m doing something right, and that everyone around me is doing a great job of helping me to perform and happy for that.”
“I hope this is just the start of what’s to come!” he enthusiastically finished.
