FC Supra du Québec had a historic first month of Canadian Premier League action as a club, and like any good number 10, Sean Rea was in the middle of it all, pulling the strings.
On Tuesday, the Montréal-born midfielder was named the CPL's Player of the Month for April.
During the opening month of the 2026 season, Rea was at his very best. He scored in FC Supra's inaugural match, which ended in its first-ever victory. He then assisted Safwane Mlah's winning goal in their first-ever home win vs. the Halifax Wanderers on April 24.
In April, Rea also led the CPL in both expected assists and expected goals on target, while creating nine chances in three matches. In a Supra system, which is very true to the province's brand of football, where creativity and attacking flair are encouraged, he is thriving.
"For me, personally, I'm an offensive style player who likes taking guys on one-on-one, having that flair," said Rea. "And our coach has given us all the liberty going forward to be creative and to be an exciting team. And I think when you give freedom to the players going forward, you really get to see their qualities."
Rea was one of the few known quantities on this Supra team entering this season. With 92 matches of CPL experience prior to this season between Valour and Halifax, he has been one of the league's most dynamic players on his day for several years now.
The rest of the team? That remained a bit of a mystery, even internally. How would this group of Québécois players come together, and how quickly?
The early results have been incredibly impressive. In their first month as a club, Supra won twice, led the league in shots on target (24), chances created (45) and expected goals on target (7.20).
"We had a long preseason, a lot of friendly games against local clubs," said Rea. "We went to New York, Toronto, and always playing against these local clubs, you don't really know how to gauge your level, right? Like, we're doing very well. We had good performances, but we were so eager to get in our first CPL game to see our level.
"We were pretty confident that we'd have a good team, but we didn't expect it to be as good as it has been."
Immediately, there has been a clear chemistry, one which has translated from familiarity and a common goal off the pitch . Already, players are seamlessly combining in attack, making no-look passes and sequences of possession that look like a group that has been playing together for several seasons.
"It's very natural, and I think that's when you're able to perform at your best, when you don't have to do too much thinking, and the play is just fluid," said Rea. "I can't stop saying it, it's been really fun."
It all started with a dream debut at Starlight Stadium, where Alexandre Marcoux scored the winner late into stoppage time for the club's first-ever victory. Rea will never forget going absolutely crazy on the bench as the Québec side collected three points in the most dramatic way possible.
"Starting like that, it's insane, like you couldn't have written the story, the script, better than it was," said Rea.
A week later, they returned home to CEPSUM Stadium to play in Québec for the first time. While a stoppage-time header from Atlético Ottawa's Tyr Dulhaney-Walker spoiled the party, the scenes from a sold-out stadium were an inspiring image for the fledgling club.
"Having almost 5,000 people right away, and they were loud, they were into it, people were excited, that's what it's all about, is inspiring the people," said Rea. "The community has just been waiting for a CPL club for so long."
It helps that they have very quickly given their supporters plenty to cheer about.
"The team has been playing well, keeping the ball, playing an attractive style of football," said Rea. "We're an exciting team right now, and we're really happy with the way things are going."
Rea knows that there is a lot of season left to be played, and work to be done, before any sort of verdict can be made on the team's inaugural season. But if anything, he thinks the early signs indicate how good this group can be as they continue to improve.
"I think we've given ourselves a lot of confidence with the performances that we've put on," said Rea, "and it's just to keep pushing forward, every game is like we're going for the win. I think we've shown that we have the quality.
"I think we're going to be a competitive side, and playoffs are definitely what we're looking at."
And, on Friday, a new challenge for the club, as they host OPL champions Woodbridge Strikers in their first-ever TELUS Canadian Championship match. It is yet another opportunity for Rea and Supra to make history.