MONTREAL —Who would have thought that the Montreal Impact, after beating the New York Red Bulls 1-0 at Stade Saputo on Sunday, would be this close to reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time, without the help of Didier Drogba?
To clinch a playoff position without him was one thing, and beating D.C United on Thursday on the road so dominantly was impressive. Hosting the New York Red Bulls in the first leg of the conference semifinals on Sunday, a team that finished the season in first place in the East, was fully rested, and that hadn’t lost in 16 games since early July, one must have wondered how the Impact were going to manage to get the result they needed this time.
At the very least, it was going to take a tremendous team effort. With a short turnaround from the D.C game, the Impact needed to be tactically excellent; intelligent about the way in which they used what energy they had left, especially with an older roster. And though it was never going to be all-out attack — there was the away-goal rule to think about — they needed to pick their moments to attack, and those moments were never going to come very often.
As the game progressed, remaining deadlocked at 0-0, the Impact were doing just about everything right — staying organized, keeping the Red Bulls at bay — but clearly they were missing an offensive spark. And with Ignacio Piatti very closely surveyed by the Red Bulls defense and midfield (sometimes even triple-teamed) who else could offer it? A great free kick opportunity for Montreal in the first half—which eventually went over the bar—had many invariably thinking: that’s Drogba territory; if only he were on the field.
But once again, it was forward Matteo Mancosu who played the hero. In the 61st minute, spotting Mancosu making a run in behind the Red Bulls defense, midfielder Marco Donadel delivered a perfectly lofted pass in his path. He didn’t need to control it; he didn’t even need to slow down. The ball bounced right in front of him, and at the perfect height in which to volley. He blasted the ball below the bar.
Mancosu. Magnificent. #MTLvNY https://t.co/Ga9ZHvnkoI
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 30, 2016
“Scoring the goal was an incredible feeling,” said Mancosu, who joined the Impact in July on a one-year loan from Serie A side Bologna, after failing to impress in the Italian top flight. “We needed to find the breakthrough and there were a couple opportunities in the first half, but we didn’t take them. We started the second half well and then came this beautiful pass from Marco (Donadel) and I was able to hit it well toward goal. When you hit it well, there’s nothing the goalie can do.”
Biello, who’s leading the Impact in its second consecutive semifinal appearance, was impressed by the quality of the goal.
“It was stunning how he was able to get in behind and volley like that; it was a great goal on his part” Biello said. “Listen, he’s a guy who’s played at the highest level, and he’s been decisive in all the games he’s played.”
Added team captain Patrice Bernier: “You could see his quality as soon as he arrived in training; he’s a player who doesn’t mess around in the box”.
With now six tallies and five assists in nine starts and six substitute appearances — along with the goal against the Red Bulls, he also scored two and provided an assist in the win over D.C. — Mancosu’s form has made Drogba’s absence not felt at all.
In the news conference after the game, it was the first time in recent weeks that no reporter asked about Drogba’s status (whether he will play again with the club) because it almost doesn’t matter anymore. At least, it hasn’t mattered to the Impact’s performances on the field. They have been better without him. Not only that, ever since he’s been out of the lineup, the Impact have managed to play some of their best soccer since joining MLS.
It would still be unfortunate for Drogba, one of the great players of the last 15 years, never to play again with the Impact. But even if he doesn’t, the Impact now must certainly believe they could succeed all the same — with a great team spirit and Mancosu, the most unlikely of heroes, in brilliant form.