A dream debut for the Impact’s recruit in first MLS game
The Impact’s newest recruit, Lassi Lappalainen, almost completely fits the Finnish stereotype: reserved, a little shy and very calm, Lassi doesn’t say more than what needs to be said.
From what we saw Saturday, however, the Impact’s Finnish recruit likes to do his talking on the pitch.
It only took him four minutes to net his first MLS goal with his new club, walking by goalkeeper Andre Blake to slot it into an empty net with as much ease as you’d like. Minutes later, the young Finn made a nice move to find Daniel Lovitz wide-open down the left flank, which led to a save from Blake.
Then, barely 30 seconds into the second half, he scored again.
“Everyone dreams of such a debut,” said Impact head coach Rémi Garde. “I’m happy for him. He confirmed that he’s not only fast, but that he has technical qualities to combine with his teammates in the run of play. He’s someone who thinks a lot of his positioning. There’s not much else to say. It’s encouraging. He set the bar high tonight, but he has a lot of potential and we’re happy to be working with him.”
It’s been barely a week since Lappalainen arrived in Montreal, but he’s fit in quite nicely thus far. His compatriot and teammate with the Finland national team, Jukka Raitala, has been helping him get accustomed to the city, and he was able to get a week of training in with his new teammates before taking on the Union last Saturday.
His form wasn’t a problem either, considering he was playing regularly with his former club in Finland before joining the Impact.
“We saw a lot of good things in training,” added Garde. “He was focused, willing to make efforts for the team, and he fit in with the other guys. Even if he didn’t score, I would say that he had a good game. It’s not only about the goals, but also about how he combined well with those around him. He closed down the left channel in front of Daniel many times and he worked hard for the team.”
Lappalainen would make his exit in the 82nd minute to a standing ovation. Speaking to the media after the game, Lassi was true to himself.
“In my dreams, I had scored only one goal in my debut. It wasn’t like in my dream, but this is still pretty good.”
