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MONTREAL – You don’t win a championship in March.
This is why the Montreal Impact and Didier Drogba agreed not to take any chances with artificial turf. The club is thus considering different options in order for Drogba, who has had knee issues in the past, to train on natural grass and get ready for the game in Dallas, on March 19.
“It’s too big of a risk for us to take with him with his knee situation, said technical director Adam Braz on Thursday morning. As we saw last year, when he played in New England, his knee really swelled up and he had a tough time recovering afterwards for the playoffs. We’re trying to find the best solution, the best environment for him to train and get fit for the game in Dallas.”
Drogba and the technical staff had already addressed the artificial field issue last season, when the Impact played New England and Orlando. Drogba, who underwent meniscus surgery before signing with Montreal, didn’t benefit from preseason training with the team.
“When I trained before the game in Orlando on turf, 20 minutes in, my knee swelled up,” Drogba said. “Logically, I didn’t start that game, only played 20 minutes or so. I pushed for the New England game, because it was a crucial one to qualify for the playoffs.
“Now, I can’t afford taking those chances, because I feel that we have more challenges to tackle later this season. It’s not worth it to play this game and then miss the next 15. It’s not that I don’t feel like playing. It’s that my knee won’t allow me.”
While Drogba did state that he would rather train in Montreal than have to fly away to train elsewhere, working on an artificial field, he explained, doesn’t offer the same support and increases fatigue.
“Training here is not easy, Drogba said. The players are tired because of the impact on the ground. When you’ve had knee surgery in the past, it’s not great. Look at what happened to Cameron Porter. … I’m not saying it’s going to happen. But it’s better to prevent and be ready for the next month.”
And for the rest of the season. Asked whether he would be with the Impact throughout the season, Drogba didn’t hesitate and replied: “Yeah. Yeah, yeah.”
