Montreal Impact’s Greatest-ever MLS-player - The Final Dilemma for Impact Fans...

How will they split them?

Two club legends, to be fair for slightly differing reasons.

Both supremely talented, both having played a huge part in all things Montreal Impact over the past 8 seasons, but while Piatti will be remembered for his goals, assists and how he lifted us up out of our seats time and time again, Bernier is more the home-club man, the heart-beat of the team operating the central midfield engine-room. Of the two he’s the one that bleeds bleu/blanc/noir most.

Not that Piatti didn’t of course, but there’s something more to wearing your heart on your sleeve when you have an affinity with the city you represent. Few would argue.

With good reason, Patrice has built up a hugely healthy rapport with the Montreal sporting public since arriving back from Europe in 2012.

He was far and away the Impact’s best player in their MLS debut season, and he holds the record number of appearances for an outfield player in MLS.

Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Piatti’s no slouch either, holding club records for goals scored and assists. And he sits behind only Bernier and Bush in the club’s list of MLS appearances at 135.

He simply has been one of the great MLS players.

So how will Impact fans be feeling about having to choose between these two?

Already in the hallowed pages of social media some have expressed they hope the contest ends in a tie. It is a huge dilemma for most to choose one man over the other, and when they do decide, they’ll have pangs of regret about not choosing the other. Worse still, they will feel disloyal to the man left unselected.

How has each man reached the final? The answer is impressively, pretty much steam-hollering all opposition team-mates who got in their way. Bernier’s most troublesome opponent was Didier Drogba, but that was to be expected, and the Quebecer prevailed at the close.

Here’s Bernier’s record thus far...

Group C
1. Patrice Bernier 67
2. Justin Mapp 21
3. Bacary sagna 10
4. Z. Brault-Guilard 3

R16 - Patrice Bernier 83 Blerim Dzemaili 17
QF - Patrice Bernier 87 Davy Arnaud 13
SF - Patrice Bernier 53 Didier Drogba 47

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

And Piatti’s barnstorming run...

Group G
1. Ignacio Piatti 86
2. Davy Arnaud 8
3. Orji Okwonkwo 4
4. Dilly Duka 2

R16 - Ignacio Piatti 87 Jukka Raitala 13
QF - Ignacio Piatti 80 Marco Di Vaio 20
SF - Ignacio Piatti 91 Hassoun Camara 9


Impressive stats by both men It seems beyond argument that the competition and fan voting has produced the right final. Congrats to Impact fans on that! It is now up to them to ponder and decide one last time where they will place their vote.

Traumatic for some it might be with much soul-searching needed, but there can be only one winner.... unless of course the social media practitioners praying for it to finish level, get their way!