Reggae Boy Shavar Thomas hopes his recent move north of the border to Montreal Impact will help revitalise a club career that had ground to a halt with limited playing time at Sporting Kansas City.

The 31-year-old defender inked a deal with expansion team Montreal Impact late January and has been in pre-season training with them in California before breaking on February 17.

"It was very tough at Kansas as I did not get to play. I am a professional and I always want to play. I couldn't sit on the bench and be a cheerleader, sitting there without playing. I did not feel as if I could help my team so I asked for them to release me and this was done," Thomas said.

"This is another great opportunity for me personally and my professional career. I can step in and be a leader and showcase my talent," explained Thomas, who will join countryman Donovan Ricketts, the man who previously held the captain's armband for the Jamaica team in Montreal.

The team will be the sixth for the much-travelled Thomas who had been concerned about retaining his spot in the national team without getting regular playing time.

Thomas has represented and captained Jamaica at every level, and sees the move as another opportunity to showcase his abilities at the club level after a frustrating time in Kansas.

The fact that Montreal are new to the league has not caused Thomas to be conservative in his expectations of their performance.

"They (Montreal) are an expansion team but teams such as Chicago and Seattle came into the league and won trophies in their first year. This squad that they have gathered is mixed. They have youth and experience and moreso good players like myself, Brian Ching, Davy Arnaud and of course Ricketts to name a few, coupled with some young players.

"There are exciting players such as defender Nelson Rivas from Colombia who previously represented Inter Milan. I think we will raise a few eyebrows and surprise a lot of people this year," a positive Thomas said.