The Panama international making good impression in the locker room
There was a new face at training at Centre Nutrilait. The Impact players took advantage of Wednesday’s session to get to know Omar Browne – pronounced brownie –, the Panama international who officially joined the club on Tuesday. We can say that his reputation precedes him in Montreal, having scored twice to help his former team, Independiente, eliminate Toronto FC in the Concacaf Champions League earlier this year.
“My first impression was that he is a very good player, very interesting,” said Samuel Piette. “He’s a little timid for now, but that’s normal, it’s only his second day with us. You can see he has quality. He’s an offensive player with a good left-footed shot. I think he can play on the right to cut in towards the middle, or on the left to provide quality crosses.”
For Browne, it’s a dream come true, although there are still many things for him to get accustomed to. Like the Panama international said himself on Tuesday, transferring to a club in another country has been a dream of his for a long time. Now that it’s done, the work has just begun.
“It’s a shock for him,” admitted Piette. “He’s from Panama. I think he saw a lot of differences at his first training session yesterday: the temperature, the language, the food…it takes time to adapt, but it all comes down to what he can do on the field. Football is universal.”
Competition continues to grow among attacking players. With Nacho Piatti injured, we’ve become accustomed to seeing Harry Novillo or Orji Okwonkwo taking care of the wings, with Mathieu Choinière and Clément Bayiha, two Academy products, also earning minutes near the end of the second half, and even starting in Washington. The arrival of Browne increases internal competition for these four players, who will be looking to maintain their place in the line-up.
“The arrival of Browne makes me want to push even more to show the coach that he can trust me,” explained Bayiha. “It makes it more challenging, and I like that. I have to show more, that’s always the goal. I thought he looked good. My first impression was that he seemed energetic and very technical. I think he’s a good recruit. I hope he’ll be able to show us what he can do.”
This isn’t the first new player Evan Bush has welcomed to Montreal. The veteran ‘keeper understands that the process of adapting to a new country, a new team, and a new style of play takes time, but he’s confident Browne will become a contributing factor to the Impact’s success.
“He seems quick, which is what we expected,” said Bush. “I think it’ll take him some time to adapt to the guys around him, but I think his speed is already a guarantee. These types of players take less time to adapt because they can rely on their quality. Even if the connection with the players around him isn’t necessarily there, he’ll be able to rely on his speed.”
As all administrative documents have not yet been received, Browne won’t be available on Saturday, when the team visits Philadelphia to take on the Union at 1pm, at Talen Energy Stadium (TVA Sports, TSN, 98,5, TSN 690).
