Anyone who has followed the Impact over the last few months knows that Didier Drogba and Ignacio Piatti would be heavily relied upon to produce offensively during the playoffs.
However, it’s been IMFC captain Patrice Bernier who has led the way, scoring a goal in each of his team’s playoff games, including the winner in the knockout round against TFC before he headed home the equalizer versus Columbus, which helped build momentum for his side’s eventual 2-1 victory over Columbus on Sunday.
“I had no idea he could score with his head,” said defender and south shore neighbor Laurent Ciman jokingly. “His mentality and determination is contagious and scoring that header shows his quality.”
Although captain of the team and a recognized leader, the Brossard native is not really known for his goal scoring prowess. His nine goals in 2012 with IMFC was his best offensive output, with six of them coming on PK’s.
“It was nice to score in two consecutive games, especially since it’s been a long time since the last one, but the most important thing was to get us back on the right foot,” said Bernier after the Crew SC match. “But as I’ve said before, when we play well collectively, different individuals will shine at different times.”
Prior to opening the scoring against the Reds on Thursday, Bernier hadn’t found the back of the net in over two years, last scoring on September 8, 2013, when he netted two against the New England Revolution.
“He is currently on a great run of form,” said Impact head coach Mauro Biello. “It’s about a month now that he is training at full health and confidence, and it is showing in his game. He’s scored two important goals for us and I hope it continues for him.”
So do we, Coach Biello, so do we.
