CF Montreal transfers midfielder Mathieu Choiniere to Swiss club Grasshopper Zurich

CF Montréal defender Tom Pearce, left, and team mate midfielder Mathieu Choinière (29) discuss penalty kick while playing Orlando City during the second half of a League Cup soccer match, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (Kevin Kolczynski, The Associated Press)

Mathieu Choiniere is heading to Europe.

CF Montreal announced Tuesday that Choiniere is joining Switzerland's Grasshopper Club Zurich, ending a months-long saga after the homegrown midfielder reportedly requested a trade in May due to an impasse in contract negotiations.

The Major League Soccer club did not reveal the transfer fee for the two-time league all-star.

Choiniere joined Montreal's academy in 2011. He made his professional debut in 2018 and played in 119 MLS games for the club.

The versatile 25-year-old from Saint-Alexandre, Que., was Montreal's MVP last year after a breakout campaign of five goals and five assists in 28 MLS games. This season, he had two goals and three assists through 17 games.

Internationally, the five-foot-nine, 150-pound Choiniere has five caps for Canada. He made his first start for the national team and scored in the shootout of a 4-3 penalty kicks loss to Uruguay in the Copa America third-place game on July 13.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Aug. 27, 2024.