Jado’s Virtuosos – Impact lose, but there is still hope.

Let’s get straight to it. The Impact lost 2-1 to a clearly better side. And the Whitecaps seemed to have dominated that match entirely. To pundits and fans alike, this will surely fuel the comments of “lack of depth”, “missing quality starters”, “this player and that player are horrible”, “they aren’t MLS quality” and so on. Breathe. If you look deeper into the match and analyse the statistics, there can only be one conclusion: there is hope. The team undoubtedly needs more players, but yesterday’s performance shows that the team is starting to understand Garde’s ideas and that they are learning to play more as a collective. For instance, the Impact were able to hold 51% of possession and played 423 passes with an 84% pass completion. These statistics are very encouraging, and if the team keeps going in this direction, they will only get better.

Now, let’s see who are Jado’s Three Virtuosos!

Virtuoso #1: Daniel Lovitz

Montreal Impact’s 2017 Defensive Player of the Year was, without a shadow of a doubt, the best and most impactful player on the field for les Montréalais. His statistics read: 92.6% pass accuracy, with 4 out of 4 accurate long balls, 2 key passes, and 3 successful dribbles out of 3 attempted. Clutch. Lovitz almost single-handedly won a point for Montreal in the last 15 minutes of the game. Two minutes after assisting Mancosu for the first goal, he served another delightful ball that should have ended in the back of the net. His performance was absolutely wonderful, and if he keeps doing what he did, new boy Jukka Raitala will have a hard time breaking into the line-up anywhere other than at CB.

Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Virtuoso #2: Victor Cabrera

Another defensive player to make the list, Victor Cabrera was a real stalwart in our defense. He competed physically against a much bigger and stronger team, breaking up their plays and often irritating the Whitecaps’ forward line. He had a very solid game, showed by his 14 clearances and 90.6% pass accuracy. With the lack of depth in this position, Cabrera needs to build on this performance and continue improving.

Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Virtuoso #3: Ignacio Piatti

Although he didn’t get a goal or an assist, Piatti was the creative force of the team. Our Argentine maestro threatened the Whitecaps goal, and catalysed many of Montreal’s attacks. With a 100% of his dribbles successful, Piatti continues to prove that he is one of the best, if not the best, dribbler in the MLS. If the team continues to improve, and key players added to the roster (like an elite striker), we could see Piatti have one of his most productive seasons with the Impact to date.

Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

All statistics courtesy of SofaScore.

Who do you think were the top performers? Leave your comments below, and as always, Allez Montréal!