Laurent Ciman has agreed to a one-year extension with the Montreal Impact, keeping him under contract with the club through the 2018 season.
An integral part of the Impact side that reached the CONCACAF Champions League final and the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, the Belgian international joined the Impact at the start of the 2015 season and enjoyed immediate success. He was named the MLS Defender of the Year at the end of the season.
"We are very pleased to have extended Laurent's contract for an extra year," Impact technical director Adam Braz said in a club statement. "Laurent and his family indicated that they felt great in the city and in the club. There was a mutual desire to extend his time with the club."
In 2015, Ciman quickly asserted himself on the backline, helping the club to its best defensive showing since joining MLS at the start of the 2013 season. The 44 goals allowed were five less than in 2013 and 14 less than in 2014.
In addition, he tallied two goals and two assists during the regular season, and finished second on the team with 2,405 minutes and third with 27 starts. He also started all three games for the Impact in the MLS Cup Playoffs, registering one assist and 300 minutes.
For his efforts, he was selected to the 2015 MLS AT&T All-Star Game, wearing the captain's armband during the second half of the 2-1 win over English club Tottenham Hotspur. He was also named three times to the MLSSoccer.com Team of the Week.
