When Laurent Ciman decided to leave Belgium for MLS four seasons ago, there was only one city where he considered playing: Montreal, where his autistic daughter, Nina, could get specialized care that wasn't available at home.
So he passed up hundreds of thousands of dollars to leave Europe for Canada, loyalty the Impact eventually rewarded with a contract extension and, according to Ciman, a pledge he wouldn't be traded. So Ciman set down roots, built a house and would eventually have a son with his wife, Diana.
Ciman makes his first return to Montreal's Saputo Stadium when LAFC plays its sixth consecutive road game on Saturday (YouTube TV, 10 a.