Ivorian striker, Didier Drogba couldn’t save his current club, Montreal Impact, as they crashed to fellow MLS side, Toronto FC.
The team which were off to a fairly good start with just two losses in six games lost in the striker’s first start of the season after returning to full fitness. The club were in first place before the encounter but have dropped to second place due to goals’ difference. Philadelphia currently lie at the top of the league with same 12 points as Impact but a higher goal difference of three over Impact’s two.
Didier Drogba finally made his first start of the season. The 38-year-old legend opted to sit out for four of the first six games this year because they were played on turf, and he was not very fit for the games due to the injury that kept him out since the pre-season. On grass, he played a sub twice — once in Dallas and then last week in Chicago where he delivered an equalizing goal only minutes after coming on.
Many fans were expecting the Impact to struggle out of the gate this year because Drogba wasn’t playing. After all, last season, before Drogba arrived, the Impact were limping along and didn’t appear to be on track for a playoff spot but Drogba’s presence nearly single handedly turned it around.
This year, the fact that Montreal were able to win without Drogba is a significant mental boost to for the team. It also takes a heap of pressure off the ageing superstar. Other players like defender Laurent Ciman, midfielder Ignacio Piatti and goalkeeper Evan Bush look like bona fide all-stars in the early going this season.
The last time Toronto FC played in Saputo Stadium was in the first round of the 2015 playoffs. It was the franchise’s first ever playoff game. Montreal defeated them 3-0 but despite Drogba’s 90 minutes presence, Impact lost by 2-0.