Typo: According 2 a source #IMFC have signed a 3year deal over 10m with Argentine winger Ignacio Piatti. He will be a DP & join team in June
— Tony Marinaro (@TonyMarinaro) March 24, 2014
That’s a lot of dough for a non-capped international whose professional career has included a good deal of bouncing around the Argentine top flight and Serie A/B with Lecce, though he’s found his stride with 11 goals in 40 appearances since arriving back in Argentina in 2012.
Still, Montreal’s hand may have been forced by a poor start that seems to be validating Matteo Ferrari’s offseason criticism, and whether there’s a season worth saving upon his June arrival could become a bit of a question.
Alessandro Nesta and Davy Arnaud left, two key veterans who instilled a bit of identity into the Impact. They signed 21-year-old “Special Discovery” Santiago Gonzalez, but little else was done outside the SuperDraft.
After opening the season with a 3-2 loss in Dallas, Montreal has been blanked in back-to-back matches. That includes Sunday’s home opener, which included a lot of shots against a shorthanded Seattle team but no finish.
It’s insanely early in the year, and Montreal has a good keeper in Troy Perkins along with a number of other names (Marco di Vaio, Felipe Martins, Heath Pearce). They also have a strong coach who is still implementing his system.
But in a league where the difference between playoff spots and also-rans is a point here and a point there, Montreal needs to stop the bleeding soon before it’s playing catch-up well before Piatti arrives (if he’s coming at all).