With Drogba out, newcomer Mancosu could get first start with Impact

MONTREAL — Striker Matteo Mancosu is off to a promising start with the Montreal Impact.

The Italian who arrived July 7 on loan from Bologna FC has come off the bench late in three straight games and has a goal and an assist in only 52 minutes of action.

And with Didier Drogba sitting out a one-game suspension, Mancosu is likely to start when the Impact (7-5-9) play host to the struggling Houston Dynamo (4-9-8) on Saturday night.

“It’s a different dynamic,” said captain Patrice Bernier. “We know what Didier brings — he brings the physical presence, the ability to score off set pieces, or from anywhere, pretty much.

“Matteo, you can see he has experience. He’s a clinical Italian striker. What I like especially is that he works hard. He closes down. He gets back into position. Those are the little things.”

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Mostly, Bernier said the entire team will have to raise its game a notch to compensate for the absence of Drogba, who was sent off for kneeing an opponent in a 1-1 draw at D.C. United on Sunday.

They’ve done it before. The Chelsea legend has missed eight games either through injury or his aversion to artificial turf and the Impact have gone 4-2-2 without him. As much as scoring leader Ignacio Piatti thrives with Drogba, he has played some of his best games when called on to lead the attack.

It shouldn’t be a problem against Houston, who sit 10th and last in the Western Conference and are winless in five games. A goal by Brazilian midfielder Alex in a 1-1 draw with San Jose last week was the Dynamo’s first in five games.

The Impact were the heavy favourite two weeks ago at home against Philadelphia and responded with a 5-1 win on a Drogba hat trick, but then they played poorly in D.C. and only got a point when another newcomer, Hernan Bernardello, scored a late goal with his team down a man with an assist from Mancosu.

Montreal needs the points. The two New York teams as well as Toronto FC have been winning. While the fifth-place Impact have at least one game in hand on each rival, they don’t want to fall off the pace.

“This is the part of the year where teams distance themselves,” said Bernier. “They’re either fighting for first, second or third and home field in the playoffs or fighting to just squeak into playoff position.

“This is the time to get a on winning streak and maintain it. Now everyone’s pushing. We showed it last time at home. We had a little trouble last week in D.C. but we still managed to get a point.”

Bernardello, who played for Montreal in 2013 and 2014 before heading to Mexico, was a key pickup. The Argentine fills a need for a defensive midfielder who specializes in recovering balls and relaunching the attack.

His arrival, along with Mancosu, and the return of players like midfielder Marco Donadel and defender Laurent Ciman, gives them added depth but also heats up internal competition for playing time.

“It’s part of being on a team that has a lot of talented players,” said midfielder Harry Shipp. “The difference between this team and teams I’ve been on in the past is that we’ve got 18 guys at least that we feel comfortable playing at any given time.

“It makes practices more competitive, but it’s tough for some guys who are not going to be playing 90 minutes every game. But you sacrifice for the good of the team.”

Ciman was to work out Friday, his 31st birthday, and if all went well the Belgian would move back into his spot in the central defence.

Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press