Every Friday, sportsnet.ca will talk to a member of Sportsnet’s soccer broadcast team (Craig Forrest, Paul Dolan or Gerry Dobson) specifically about one of Major League Soccer’s three Canadian clubs.
This week, sportsnet.ca chats with Craig Forrest about the Montreal Impact and whether Hassoun Camara should head off to Europe.
Q: The Impact made a major move last week when they traded starting goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts to the Portland Timbers for fellow ‘keeper Troy Perkins. Were you surprised Montreal dealt Ricketts?
Craig Forrest: No, not really. Obviously, Ricketts wasn’t having the best of seasons this year and I’m not sure how happy he was in Montreal. Perkins comes the other way, and Portland wasn’t all that happy with him either, so I think it was a case of fresh starts for both players, and both clubs wanting to shake things up a little bit. I think Perkins is going to be solid in Montreal.
Q: It’s a like-for-like swap, as Ricketts will start for Portland, and Perkins is Montreal’s new No. 1 ‘keeper. Who got the better of the deal?
CF: That’s tough to say, but under the circumstances I would say Montreal. I think Perkins is an easier individual to deal with, and he’ll be better for Montreal in that regard. Ricketts was a bit temperamental and you never knew what you were going to get; he was a little inconsistent. He wasn’t happy there, and I think Perkins will be a little more focused on what’s in front of him, so that’s a good move for Montreal.
Q: Hassoun Camara was the Impact’s MVP last year in the North American Soccer League (NASL). According to reports, he’s on the radar of several clubs from France and England. Should he leave for Europe at the end of this season, or would it be better from him to stay in MLS a bit longer?
CF: I think he’s a solid MLS player, as he can play in a few different positions, both in defence and in midfield. I can see why European clubs would be interested in him. Whether he goes or not depends on what teams are offering him and the opportunity to play. Is he going over there and sit on the bench or is he going to play? Will he be a fringe player or will he be a starter? So I think he’s going to take that into consideration, and if he gets an offer from Europe, it’ll come down to that when he makes a decision.
Q: Vancouver’s Darren Mattocks (picked second overall in this year’s draft) has overshadowed fellow rookie Andrew Wenger (the number one pick) this season. Wenger hasn’t played as much as Mattocks, who has firmly established himself as the top candidate for the rookie of the year award. Did Montreal make a mistake in picking Wenger ahead of Mattocks?
CF: I think Wenger’s done quite well in the somewhat limited action he’s seen, but he’s more of a long-term project than Mattocks. In think in the long-term he’s going to be a player who gives Montreal a lot. Maybe they keep him or trade him, but Wenger is going to be a good player and adapt quite well to MLS in the long run.
Q: Montreal is getting a lot of goals from midfielders, and not so much from its forwards. Nineteen of Montreal’s 36 goals have been scored by midfielders. How concerning is it that the forwards are not carrying the bulk of the goal-scoring burden?
CF: It’s great from a midfield standpoint in this league, especially for an expansion team, that they’re getting so much productivity from their midfield players on the goal scoring front. That’s something they can really build on. The forwards will eventually come through and get it right, and the club will get a nice blend and mix of goals from all over the pitch. We have to remember Montreal is in its first year in MLS, so all in all they’ve been successful. They’ve made good roster moves, the depth of the squad is good; they’re growing all the time.
NEXT WEEK: Sportsnet.ca talks to Gerry Dobson about Toronto FC. Do you have a question you want to ask Gerry? Send your queries to John Molinaro via Twitter using the #SoccerMashup hash-tag, and he’ll use the best one in next week’s Q&A.