The Montreal Impact have won four of their last five games with bright attacking flashes, intelligent defensive play and absurd injury numbers.
Twenty-nine players make up the Impact’s roster. Eight of them are injured, four of which still face absences ranging from over a month (Justin Mapp’s dislocated elbow) to, well, probably not playing for Montreal any more (Adrian Lopez has recovered from a knee injury but is expected to leave in July).
Of the four other, short-term, injuries, three occurred during the current good run. Stepping in for injured colleagues, players like Eric Alexander and Maxim Tissot did well on their return to the starting lineup. Given the latest results, head coach Frank Klopas is thrilled with how his team has dealt with injuries and international call-ups, a problem that will hit the whole of MLS in this Gold Cup year.
“Tissot had a very good game, and he’s away [with Canada] now. [Ambroise] Oyongo’s gone [with Cameroon].When we get those guys back, and the other guys healthy, I think the competition is going to be really good,” Klopas told reporters on Tuesday morning. “Right now, we always have to improvise a lot of things, because Eric Alexander is much better in the middle, but he does a very good job out wide. … I know there has been flexibility with the guys, and I think it’s come in handy for us, in moments where we need it the most with injuries and call-ups.”
Tuesday’s training session featured encouraging scenes. Hassoun Camara, out since late March with a knee injury, shed his brace to do physical work alongside Eric Miller, who injured his hamstring on May 23rd against Dallas. Dilly Duka (concussion) and Dominic Oduro (groin), for their part, ran and exchanged passes on the sidelines.
Duka, concussed when an Adailton clearance hit him in the face during Montreal’s 3-0 defeat at Chicago, could return to training with his teammates this week.
“Dilly is going through the steps that you have to [take] to bring a player back after concussion symptoms,” Klopas said. “We pushed him today, and the key thing is how he responds tomorrow. If he’s good, then you go to the next step. If everything goes according to plan, I would assume that, in the next couple of days, he will be with the team, training.”
Oduro also hopes to integrate team training this Wednesday or Thursday, with a view on some minutes at Yankee Stadium this Saturday against New York City FC. And he’s champing at the bit.
“At the end of the day, I haven’t been out for this long in my whole career,” Oduro said. “I haven’t been this hurt. So I’m coming to rehab every day, doing the same thing repeatedly every day. It kind of eats you up a little bit. I think I was just struggling through that mentally. The trainers help me through it. They try as much as possible to be dynamic with it, to kind of incorporate stuff that wouldn't bore me. That helped. Hopefully, I don't get hurt again, because it sucks, just sitting outside and watching your team play.”
At least, Oduro and company are watching a winning team.
