The 2014 MLS season the Montreal Impact has been a disaster thus far. A big reason for these struggles has been the inability of the defence to keep the ball out of the back of the net. The Impact are currently tied with Houston Dynamo for allowing the most goals against in the MLS this season with 45. The defensive corps has been rocked by injuries over the past 12 months, and a myriad of players have been brought in this season to try and stop torrent of goals going into the back of their net. The newest addition to the Impact defence is Nigerian Gege Soriola.
Riddled by Injuries:
There have been a few factors that have lead to the defensive struggles over the course of this season. Some keys injuries combined with an inability for the Impact to find a replacement for Alessandro Nesta have hurt the team over the last 6 months. Last season the Impact brought in Spanish defender Adrián López from Wigan Athletic in hopes that he could eventually fill the void left by Nesta. Much to the disappointment of the Impact, López picked up a serious knee injury and has played very little for the Impact since the transfer.
There was also optimism from management that Columbian Nelson Rivas could return from his series of injuries. A healthy Rivas could have brought leadership and size to the back line. However, the Columbian defender lasted less than five minutes in a Canadian Cup game this season against Toronto before re-injuring his knee. Rivas has since been released by Montreal. With these two important players out long term this season has forced the Impact to plug defensive holes, ad hoc.
Another player that was brought in by former Sporting Director Nick De Santis was Futty Danso. Danso was acquired from Portland earlier in the summer however it took many weeks before he was able to crack the starting lineup.Like both Rivas and López, Danso was injured shortly after coming to the Impact. Danso is a solid MLS veteran that could provide some valuable depth if he is still with the Impact next season.
Chance for Younger Players:
One of the positives to be taken from all of these injuries has been the chance for some younger players to feature in the Impact lineup, specifically Wandrille Lefèvre, Eric Miller and Karl Ouimette. All three players have seen significant playing this year and have the potential to play important roles for the team in the future. Just this week Karl Ouimette was called up to the Canadian Men’s National team which will help the young player from Repentigny continue to build confidence.
New Addition:
This week the Impact made another addition to their roster, in a move that will help stop the leaking of goals. Nigerian, Gege Soriola has been training with the team for some time now, however the deal to make him an Impact player was just completed this week. The centre back will help add some size and skill to the back line, in an effort to help Ferrari and Lefèvre. Soriola has been capped 8 times with the Nigerian Senior Men’s National team and will be a big boost for the defence when he is finally fit to play, which might still be a few weeks away.
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