Didier Drogba fans will have to remain patient.
As was first reported on Thursday night by TSN 690’s Tony Marinaro, Drogba has been ruled out of Saturday’s game between rivals Montreal Impact and Toronto FC (4 pm ET; TSN in Canada, MLS LIVE in US). Drogba didn’t make the trip to Toronto, a club spokesman confirmed to MLSsoccer.com.
A minor toe injury kept Drogba out of Montreal’s 2-0 defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the second leg of the Amway Canadian Championship on Wednesday. It was feared, head coach Frank Klopas explained, that the BC Place turf could worsen Drogba's injury and rule him out of further fixtures.
But Drogba is missing this Heineken Rivalry Week match all the same, as is Ignacio Piatti, whose calf contusion has yet to heal. The Impact are shooting for a Sept. 5 return against Chicago Fire in Piatti’s case.
Saturday’s game between two Canadian rivals is a crucial matchup in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Toronto sit fourth with 34 points from 25 games, while Montreal are sixth with 28 points, but with two games in hand on their rivals – and three on fifth-placed New England Revolution, who also have 34 points.
