Speculation: Drogba to Train in Florida

Another Drogba Rumour: Let’s All Relax

Let us take a deep breath for one minute and put things into perspective. Ever since Didier Drogba announced that he would be returning to the Montreal Impact in January, it should have been a surprise to no one that the Ivorian would not be playing on artificial turf. It would have been naive for anyone to believe that Drogba would be participating much in the first five games with four taking place on turf.

Rewind:

Last October as the Impact lined up against Orlando in the midst of a late playoff push Didier Drogba was not in the starting lineup. The reason - artificial turf. Drogba was eventually brought into the game in the second half however did not play a major role and the Impact ended up losing the game 2-1. Prior to that game against Orlando Mauro Biello was quoted as saying, "He is not comfortable with the idea of playing on artificial turf. He has never played on this type of surface in his career."

Yes, a couple weeks after that game in Orlando Drogba did start in New England (turf) but certainly only because the season was on the line. Had it not been an essential match at the end of the season, the odds of Drogba playing would have been slim.

Miami FC:

This brings us to the announcement the Impact and Didier Drogba are expected to make tomorrow. According to RDS, Drogba will depart from the Impact for the next month to train with Miami FC while the Impact start their season. Of course nothing is fact until it is confirmed but if Drogba does leave for Florida it should not necessarily shock anyone. Only a few weeks ago nearly everyone had written the striker off from even returning to Montreal.

Some people will be critical of Drogba stating that he is abandoning the team or that he is acting selfish. The reality is that Didier Drogba is 37 (soon to be 38) and is not a fan of playing on artificial turf. Even last season Drogba was utilized only in the most critical of situations on artificial turf.

Very Long Season:

An MLS season is a long one, starting this Sunday, and the regular season ending in October. It was only last season the Impact looked to be on their way to missing the playoffs for the second straight season before a late season push provided by Drogba. Perhaps Drogba missing the first month of the regular season isn’t the worst thing in the world?