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Didier Drogba will not be playing against the Vancouver Whitecaps for the MLS season opener at BC place. The Impact Technical Director, Adam Braz, confirmed RDS' report that Drogba has issue with his knee, pertaining to playing and practicing on turf. The report also said that the player would be practicing in Florida with Miami FC, where Alessandro Nesta is the head coach.
Neither Drogba nor Braz would confirm where the practice sessions would happen but one thing for sure, Drogba will not be playing or practicing on turf fields. With 4 out of the Impact's first 5 games being played on turf, Adam Braz advised the Drogba's first game with the club will be on March 19th against FC Dallas, in Texas.
Nothing is set on stone but amidst all of the brouhaha around his knee, #turfgate and his perceived lack of communication with the media, Drogba had to answer a few questions about his commitment to the Montreal Impact and whether his head and his heart is Chelsea blue instead of Bleu-Blanc-Noir.
He unequivocally answered that not only his head and heart are in Montreal but aims , with the help of his teammates, to see the club do better than last year and win a championship.
The #DrogBuzz is back but not necessarily for the right reasons. Though, it was quite an entertaining media scrum with a legendary player that definitely manage his media communication differently than what we are used to.
In Conclusion:
- Turf is bad for Drogba's knee
- Drogba will practice on a grass pitch, most probably in warm weather
- Drogba will miss four of the Impact's first five games
- Drogba's first game could be on March 19th 2016 against FC Dallas
Move along now, nothing to see here.