Saturday night’s game against the lowly Chicago Fire wasn’t an absolute must-win for the Montreal Impact, but it was undoubtedly a must-not-lose game in their quest to hold onto the sixth and final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. The Impact, buoyed by Didier Drogba’s first (three) MLS goal(s), took all three points in a 4-3 victory.
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Drogba’s hat-trick performance was more than enough to land the Chelsea and Ivory Coast legend this week’s MLS Player of the Week honors. A franchise in constant turmoil (Frank Klopas was fired last week, the club’s third manager to be shown the door in less than four full MLS seasons), Drogba’s arrival has not only made L’Impact a better team on the field, but he’s also re-energized a beaten-down fanbase with very little to get excited about.
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The way Drogba shrugs off Eric Gehrig’s full-body challenge to score his first goal on the night (above video) serves as proof he’s still got that goalscoring appetite. The way Stade Saputo erupts and loses its collective mind following his third and game-winning goal (below video) serves as proof of what the right signing at the right time can do for a club.
MLS Players of the Week
Week 1: Tyler Deric, Houston Dynamo
Week 2: Chris Wondolowski, San Jose Earthquakes
Week 3: Bradley Wright-Phillips, New York Red Bulls
Week 4: Kaka, Orlando City SC
Week 5: Harrison Shipp, Chicago Fire
Week 6: Jaime Penedo, LA Galaxy
Week 7: Fabian Castillo, FC Dallas
Week 8: Ethan Finlay, Columbus Crew SC
Week 9: Fabian Castillo, FC Dallas
Week 10: Mauro Diaz, FC Dallas
Week 11: Chad Barrett, Seattle Sounders
Week 12: Kei Kamara, Columbus Crew SC
Week 13: Krisztian Nemeth, Sporting Kansas City
Week 14: Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC
Week 15: David Villa, New York City FC
Week 16: Matias Perez Garcia, San Jose Earthquakes
Week 17: Darlington Nagbe, Portland Timbers
Week 18: Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC
Week 21: Cyle Larin, Orlando City SC
Week 23: Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC
Week 24: Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy
Week 25: Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy
Week 26: Bradley Wright-Phillips, New York Red Bulls