TORONTO—There hasn’t been very much talk about Montreal Impact midfielder Ignacio Piatti as a possible MVP candidate in Major League Soccer this season.
There should be, though. At the very least, Piatti deserves to be in the conversation for the league’s most prestigious individual award.
Silky smooth on the ball with a deft touch in front of goal, the mercurial Argentine has put up some solid numbers in 2016, scoring 15 goals (good enough for fifth overall in MLS), and tallying six assists in 30 appearances, all of them starts. Piatti, 31, also ranks fifth in shots on target (39) in the league, and his outstanding play and overall form is a major reason why the Impact are likely to make the playoffs.
Montreal can clinch a post-season berth with a win over Toronto FC at home on Sunday. A victory would also put the Impact in the driver’s seat going into the final week of the regular season in terms of securing home field advantage in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Piatti’s terrific MLS campaign hasn’t gone unnoticed by Toronto players ahead of Sunday’s 401 Derby.
“He’s an MVP-type calibre of a player. He’s one of those guys you always have to watch, otherwise he’ll punish you. Even when we do have the ball [we] have to keep an eye out for him and try to keep his touches to a minimum,” TFC defender Steven Beitashour warned.
Piatti has a habit of burning Toronto, including in the most recent matchup between the two Canadian rivals. The Argentine scored the game’s lone goal at BMO Field on Aug. 27, latching on to a feed from Dominic Oduro and then beating Reds goalkeeper Alex Bono with a well-placed shot from in close in the 73rd minute.
He also put in a man-of-the-match performance during last year’s playoff contest when the Impact crushed TFC 3-0 at Stade Saputo. Piatti had a goal and an assist, and incredibly recorded eight shots on the night, three on target. In total, the Argentine has two goals and three assists in five MLS games against Toronto.
TFC currently sit third in the East. They’ve already secured a playoff berth, but they’re trying to close a two-point gap on the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC who occupy the two top spots in the conference—finishing first or second in the East means a first round bye in the playoffs, and home field advantage in the two-legged conference semifinals.
The Reds need a win on Sunday to have a realistic shot at a top-two finish. To get the three points, they’ll have to minimize Piatti’s influence, which is easier said than done, as Toronto coach Greg Vanney called the Argentine a clever player with good technical skills and “spectacular” vision on the field.
“At key moments he will ‘cheat things’ defensively, because a lot of things that they do and a lot of success that they’ve had has been in transition,” Vanney said.
“He’ll give you that first effort defensively and then as the ball looks like it might turn over he’s already moving in the other direction, and they find him now in transition with space and they have guys who can run [off of him in that situation].”
So, how do you go about stopping the crafty Argentine playmaker? It depends on the situation, according to Vanney.
“If we’re in what we call a more ‘set defence’ when they have a little bit of possession, it’s making sure we clog up spaces, we know where he is, we don’t allow him to get facing forward with clean looks at our goal, or at our back line so he can deliver passes,” Vanney explained.
Toronto has to take a different approach when Montreal hits out on the counter, or when they launch attacks shortly after winning back possession.
“In transition moments it’s making sure that we don’t give up the ball in bad situations that allow them to break out, and behind our [attackers] we have to be very, very aware of where he is at all times to make sure that initial pass out doesn’t land on his foot with him having time and space to run out our defence,” Vanney said.
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