Once it starts rolling, there really is no stopping it.
We’re referring to the new MLS season of course. After a hiatus during the winter frost, MLS was back for its 2018 edition last week, and it was back with a bundle of upsets; Atlanta United lost its opening game 4-0 to the Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles FC beat the Seattle Sounders for its first win in franchise history, but the biggest surprise might have been the Columbus Crew SC, led by its Argentine superstar, beating the defending champions, Toronto FC, at BMO Field.
It just so happens that the Impact’s second game of the season is against the Black & Gold, this Saturday at 1pm (TVA Sports, CTV, TSN), and if the Bleu-blanc-noir wants to leave Cowtown with a little special something, it’ll need to do something its neighbours down the 401 failed to do, and that’s stopping Federico Higuaín.
Brother to Gonzalo Higuaín, the forward currently playing in Juventus that has had spells in Real Madrid and Napoli to name a few, Federico might be the lesser known of the Higuaín brothers, but the 33-year old, who joined the Columbus Crew SC in 2012, scored 49 goals in 150 games thus far. The Montreal Impact’s former captain, Patrice Bernier, has even said that he’s one of the players he hates playing against the most.
“He’s been one of the best players in this league for a number of years now and I think that’s because he’s unpredictable,” said goalkeeper Evan Bush. “You can’t watch game tape and assume he’s going to turn up in this spot and try to do something specific. He kind of floats around, and it becomes a bit of a headache for the other teams because you don’t know where he’s going to pop up.”
“If he gets space, he can do magic,” added defender Jukka Raitala. “For sure we need to take good care of him. I know him, and I know what he likes to do. It doesn’t matter who he plays against, he gives you everything. He’s a good player for sure, but we’re ready to meet him.”
Jukka Raitala played with the Crew SC in his first MLS season last year, before being selected in the expansion draft by LAFC, and then being traded to the Montreal Impact on the same day.
“Just three months ago I was playing for the Crew,” added Raitala. “It’s a very special game for me and I’m very excited. I know Columbus well, and it’s a very strong team, it’s not only Federico, it’s the 10 other guys on the field as well, but we’re ready for tomorrow.”’
The Impact will need to keep a close eye on the man who started the season with a goal and an assist. But like all good players, he’s not invincible.
“Sometimes you can take advantage of him floating around and leaving his position because he leaves spaces and then you can push forward in those areas,” explained Bush. “But he can still give you problems defensively, so we’ll need to be aware of that.”
