The Montreal Impact appears to have learned its lesson, its appetite for off-the-field drama finally satisfied.
A year ago, the Didier Drogba soap opera stole headlines, with the Ivorian angling to get out his contract before eventually returning to Montreal—although, not before spending the majority of training camp on his own, and then sitting out four out of the Impact’s first five games of the year because they were on artificial turf.
No such distractions this time around. Two of the big questions surrounding the Impact going into this off-season surrounded captain Patrice Bernier and influential playmaker Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Piatti, and whether they’d be back for the 2017 Major League Soccer campaign.
Bernier, 37, was out of contract at the end of last season, while Piatti has been linked with a transfer move to Boca Juniors in his native Argentina. During a Monday press conference, the Impact announced the signing of Bernier to a one-year contract extension, while owner Joey Saputo addressed the Piatti rumours.
“I’d say 100 per cent,” Saputo answered when asked what the odds are of Piatti returning in 2017. “Piatti has a contract with us for another year and a half. Before Nacho left (after last season) he made it very, very clear to us — at least he made it clear to me — that this is where he wants to be.”
Piatti wasn’t present at the news conference in Montreal, so we have to take Saputo’s word for it that the Argentine is committed to staying with the Impact. Speculation will continue to swirl until we hear it from Piatti himself, but Saputo was pretty emphatic in stating he has no intention of selling him.
That’s good news for Impact fans. Piatti is one of the best players in MLS, his 17 goals last season tying him with Sebastian Giovinco for third place in the scoring race. The Argentine is a creator of true quality and vision, a genuine “game-breaker” in a league where such players are few and far between.
As for Bernier, he’ll play one more season before retiring, and then he’ll join the Impact’s youth academy coaching staff.
“It’s a special year because it’s my last,” Bernier said.
Saputo added: “He’ll always have a place on our club.”
Bernier’s one-year contract extension was important for the Impact for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it ensures a club icon who grew up just outside of Montreal will end his career at at home. Had Montreal not extended Bernier, the most popular player in Impact history, it would have been a PR nightmare.
What’s more, Bernier, despite his age, remains a key cog in the Impact’s counter-attacking game. He often serves as both the link between defence and Piatti in attack and the pressure valve with his ability to hold onto the ball in midfield.
Monday’s news comes on the heels of the Impact recently coming to terms with forward Dominic Oduro and Canadian defender Wandrille Lefevre on new deals. What this means is that all 11 starters from the Impact’s impressive playoff run last season—one that ended with a dramatic overtime loss to Toronto FC in the Eastern Conference final—are now under contract for 2017.
No doubt that team management will look to add a few more supplementary pieces if it can. The Impact are an old team, and could do with some more fresh young legs, even after picking up promising Canadian prospect Shamit Shome in last week’s MLS SuperDraft.
Still, here we are before the Impact’s training camp has even opened, and the roster looks fairly set, save for a few tweaks.
There’s something to be said for having a fairly quiet winter and not having to scramble to make a series of player moves before the start of the regular season.
There’s also something to be said for a club fostering a culture of stability. Historically, that hasn’t been the Impact’s strength—last year’s Drogba debacle, and the fact that Montreal went through three different coaches through its first three years in MLS suggested a fairly high level of dysfunction within the organization.
“We have fewer changes at the coaching level and players (are) coming back,” Saputo said on Monday. “More importantly, players like Patrice that will continue to be part of the organization as we move forward, I think it’s important.”
It took some time, but Saputo seems to finally understand the importance of stability.
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