MONTREAL—Last week’s bye came at just the right moment for the Montreal Impact, who can take some additional time to rest and prepare for a grueling end-of-season schedule of 18 games in 10 weeks.
The Impact, who currently hold down the sixth and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference with games in hand, are well placed to make the playoffs this season and there’s really no reason why they shouldn’t. It would take something of a collapse, similar to the one endured in 2013 under Marco Schällibaum, for Montreal not to get there and that’s unlikely to happen this time.
Under coach Frank Klopas, the Impact are better equipped than they were two years ago—they are, for the most part, stronger physically and possess more depth. However, Klopas and the Impact wouldn’t just be satisfied with making the playoffs. They want to finish in third or fourth so as to guarantee a home playoff game for the first time in their history in MLS.
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Klopas, whose contract will be up for renewal at the end of this season, also needs to build a case for his return. After a difficult 2014 MLS season, if he can add a Canadian Championship trophy and a conference semifinal final finish to the runners up medal in the CONCACAF Champions League, then he will likely have sealed his stay.
Where the Impact end up this campaign will likely depend on how quickly new signing Didier Drogba can get into form. We’ve seen in the past with European players arriving in MLS in mid-season that it can take some time for them to acclimate. Marco Di Vaio, when he signed for the Impact in June of 2012, was no different.
But if Drogba does manage to settle in quickly then there’s really no telling how far the Impact can go, especially in what is a rather unspectacular Eastern Conference (save for the surging New York Red Bulls).
The Ivorian striker will certainly bring a different dimension to the Impact attack. He will offer a vital physical presence in the box and strong back-to-goal play, all things which Montreal have lacked since their arrival in MLS in 2012.
Not having a striker in the mold of a Drogba, the Impact have mostly depended on quick transitions to break down defences. Drop deep into a low defensive block—take away the space for Montreal’s swift attacking midfielders to run into—and suddenly the Impact are far less effective going forward.
However, with Drogba leading the attack, teams will now have a difficult choice to make in terms of how they want to approach things defensively: they can sit deep and take away Montreal’s counter attacking threat, but then they’ll have deal with Drogba close to goal and crosses delivered into the box.
It’s unlikely now that teams will play as conservatively as say, for example, D.C. United did last weekend at Stade Saputo, where they essentially contented themselves with sitting back in a defensive shell.
One person who should greatly benefit from Drogba’s arrival is playmaker and fellow Designated Player Ignacio Piatti, who is often given special defensive attention by opposing teams. Drogba’s presence will likely open more space for the Argentine and maybe he’ll start passing the ball a little more, too.
Drogba is set to make his debut next Saturday against the Philadelphia Union, a game which will see the Impact sellout Stade Saputo for the first time since 2013, when Montreal went on to make the playoffs for the first time. It should be a sign of things to come, thanks to their newest French-speaking superstar.
Nick Sabetti is a Montreal-based writer. Follow him on Twitter