The Montreal Impact have named Olivier Renard as the club's sporting director.
The Major League Soccer club announced the hiring of the 40-year-old Belgian on Saturday.
Renard was the sporting director of Belgian club Standard de Liege from 2016 to 2019 after serving in the same capacity with KV Mechelen from 2014 to 2016.
He most recently sat on the executive board of Royal Antwerp FC as a sporting consultant.
"We're extremely happy to welcome Olivier among us," Impact president and CEO Kevin Gilmore said in a statement. "His profile fits the criteria we were looking for. He will play a crucial role in implementing our identity and our sporting structure to establish ourselves as a leading club in MLS.
"He also proved during the last few years that he is able to find excellent players early in their career and oversee them in a structure that favours their development, all while building a successful squad."
The club said Renard will report to Gilmore and will work closely with Impact global sporting director Walter Sabatini.
Renard played as a professional goalkeeper in Belgium and Italy, from 1996 to 2003 represented Belgium internationally at the U18, U19, and U20 levels.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2019.
