OBETZ, Ohio – After nearly a week of uncertainty as to where they would be traveling this weekend, Columbus Crew SC players now know that their reward for earning the second seed in the East will be a matchup with the Montreal Impact – one of the league’s hottest teams – and their superstar Didier Drogba.
The clubs have played twice this season, with Montreal taking both matches and outscoring Crew SC 5-1. Both of those losses came before Drogba’s arrival, and Columbus players and coaches know they’re in for a battle in the first round of the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs.
“They’re a very good team, and they’ve given us problems this year, obviously, beating us twice,” defender Michael Parkhurst said. “Now they add Drogba, and I think their style of play has changed a little bit since then. They play more direct to him and he holds the ball up and brings the team in with him. They’re still a very good counterattacking team. They get in a good defensive shape and counter very quickly.”
Those regular-season losses may provide some extra motivation – as if any is needed – for Crew SC players.
“It’s a little revenge,” said Tony Tchani. “After losing two games, you don’t want to lose three or four games against the same team. So we’re looking forward to this game and looking forward to playing against Drogba. Since he’s been in the league, he’s given a different dimension to that team.”
Tchani, like many players in MLS, grew up watching Drogba play. He says it’s “very exciting,” as a Chelsea fan, to watch one of his childhood heroes play. But that doesn’t mean he’ll be starstruck on the field.
“After the game or before the game, I can say hi,” Tchani said. “But when it’s game time and the ref blows the whistle, I won’t worry about it.”
Ghanaian fullback Harrison Afful also knows Drogba well, but echoed Tchani’s sentiments. No one on Crew SC is intimidated by the big name.
“He’s a great guy; he’s a great player,” Afful said. “But we’re not going to look up to him. It’s football. Even though the respect is there, on the field of play you just have to do what you can and hope for the best.”
But Columbus head coach Gregg Berhalter knows it’s no easy task to deal with a man on a streak of 12 goals in 12 games.
“It’s going to be hard, there’s no question,” he said. “It’s similar to when we played against [Sebastian] Giovinco – you want to limit the damage. You know they’re going to do something that’s going to be dangerous and you know they’re going to get some opportunities, but you want to limit them. It’s very hard to keep a guy like Didier Drogba out of the game.”
After two shutouts in wins over Toronto and D.C. United to end their season, the Columbus defense may be better equipped to play Drogba now than at any point in their season.
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And while the Ohio club had been as leaky in the back as any in the league at times, Parkhurst says that finish to their season has them in a new mindset.
“We went through a stretch in the middle of the season where it was like going 90 minutes and not giving up a goal was almost impossible,” he said. “You think, 'Man, 90 minutes is a long time. How is anybody getting a shutout?’ Seriously. Now you get two in a row and it gives you that confidence.
“Not that we think we’re the best defense in the league or we’re going to shut everybody out, but that confidence is nice.”
As Parkhurst says, maybe they’re due.
“They say it’s tough to beat a team three times in one year,” he said with a smile. “So maybe that will work in our favor.”
