Emotions are irrepressible after such a roller coaster as last Saturday’s 3-2 win against the LA Galaxy. They overwhelm the rational half of our brain.
Let us take the time, on this Monday, to celebrate the milestones reached during this win and to measure, with numbers, its importance on both team and individual levels.
Team milestones
The Impact defeated the Galaxy, a rare feat this season; only one other team, the Colorado Rapids, has beaten Bruce Arena’s men (1-0 on March 12). Montreal thus grabbed its first-ever MLS win against the Galaxy – and remains unbeaten against that team at home.
What’s more, your favourite team clinched the 40th regular-season home win of its MLS existence on Saturday night.
Individual milestones
Didier Drogba created a lot of memories with his over-the-top celebration after scoring the winner. But he also made his mark on the Impact record book. With his performance against the Galaxy, Drogba has tallied a goal or an assist in his last five appearances, a club record in MLS. The all-time record in all divisions belongs to Nick De Santis, who got on the score sheet in six straight games in 1997.
Drogba has also scored in his last four MLS games, a feat that only Marco Di Vaio could ever do, in 2012. He is closing in on the all-time record of five straight games with a goal, managed by Grant Needham in 1993 and by Lloyd Barker in 1995.
Captain Patrice Bernier, for his part, played his 14,000th minute with the Impact in all divisions late on Saturday night. Bernier now sits in sixth position in the all-time Impact minutes played; top of that column is current head coach Mauro Biello, who spent 25,288 minutes – roughly 17-and-a-half days of his life – on the field with an Impact jersey on.
Goalkeeper Evan Bush had to wait until second-half stoppage-time on Saturday, but he did take the lead in goalkeeper wins for the Impact in MLS, with 22.
Other outfield players reach landmarks: Kyle Bekker made his 50th MLS appearance, while Dominic Oduro won his 30th start for the Impact. Oduro also matched his career-best assists number, with five assists. Four of those were primary assists to Ignacio Piatti, more than any other MLS player has given to a specific teammate this season.
