MONTREAL – Didier Drogba is inching closer to his MLS debut.
While the Impact have yet to set Drogba’s debut date in stone, head coach Frank Klopas reiterated this Wednesday night that Montreal’s Aug. 22 home game against the Philadelphia Union is the target.
Drogba, as expected, did not feature in Wednesday’s 2-2 tie against Vancouver in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship final, although he was in attendance at Stade Saputo.
“He’s just not really ready physically at the moment,” Klopas said in his post-game press conference. “He’s been with us a week right now. He’s training extremely hard. Obviously, we’ll see how it goes, but the 22nd is a game where he’ll – unless, knock on wood, something happens – be ready to go and play for the team. That’s a game that all our fans should come out for. I want to see a packed house here, because that’s our target date and his.”
Drogba first trained with the Impact – albeit mostly on the sidelines – on Friday morning, July 31, the day after his presentation at Stade Saputo. He joined his teammates in team drills the following week.
“Every day, it’s going really well with him,” Klopas said. “He’s pushing and working extremely hard, so our goal is the 22nd. And I think that’s a realistic goal and he’ll be ready for that, the game against Philly.”
