MONTREAL – The Impact had a few injury concerns in the wake of their 2-2 draw against New York Red Bulls last weekend.
They started in the 69th minute, when midfielder Hernan Bernardello engaged in an aerial duel with New York’s Eric Alexander. Bernardello’s right ankle, however, suffered from the landing on the Olympic Stadium turf. He came off two minutes later, replaced by Patrice Bernier.
Bernardello has now injured both his ankles since signing for Montreal, but head coach Frank Klopas’ assessment indicates that this knock is milder than the previous, which kept him off the field for six weeks.
“Yeah, it’s day-to-day,” Klopas told reporters on Tuesday. “His ankle is a bit swollen, but I’m optimistic. We’ll see. He wasn’t out here today. He feels a little bit better, but I think it's a day-to-day decision. We'll see.”
News was better in the case of Felipe, whose eyes betrayed his apprehensions as he seemed to injure his groin while chasing the ball and – him again – Eric Alexander in the 89th minute on Saturday.
The Brazilian may have feared a relapse of the sports hernia he underwent surgery for after his first season in MLS, in 2012. Klopas shared that concern but was relieved to find out it had been only a cramp.
“I saw the tape two or three times, and his workrate was amazing, the whole game,” Klopas said. “He got in good spots. When we played early in transition and found him and Marco [Di Vaio], I thought we created a lot of chances, we pushed the game in the second half. I'm thankful that it wasn't a pull and more of a cramp. He should be okay for this week.”
Olivier Tremblay covers the Impact on MLSsoccer.com
