Saturday’s matchup will be an opportunity to see two of the league’s elite goal scorers, as Philadelphia’s Jack McInerney and the Impact’s Marco Di Vaio will be on opposite ends of the field.
“Goalscorers like them are a different breed,” said Impact head coach Marco Schällibaum. “They are always looking for goal and that’s what makes them successful.”
They may have that nose for the net in common, but they are on opposite ends of the spectrum if you look at their careers thus far.
McInerney, 20 years old, is just a baby in the beautiful game, but he is having a career year with the Union, leading the league in goals with eight from 12 appearances in 2013.
The American striker broke into the league at 16, playing 17 matches in 2010, and has amassed 20 career markers since his first game back on March 25, 2010. He’s also represented his country at the U17 World Cup.
MATCH PREVIEW: Montreal Impact vs Philadelphia Union
While McInerney is on the verge of becoming a big name in this sport, his adversary however, has been at the top of it for almost 20 years.
Di Vaio has had a stellar career, scoring over 200 career goals in some of Europe’s top flights: Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1. He’s played for huge clubs like Juventus, Monaco and Valencia and also represented the Italian national team on a few occasions.
Turning 37 next month, the Roman-born bomber is tied for second in league scoring with six goals in just 10 games played and shows no signs of slowing down, having added another two goals in Canadian Championship play.
“Marco is an opportunist,” added Schällibaum. “He can score at any time and he’s always in the right place. I’m hoping on Saturday he gets one and Jack doesn’t!”
