MONTREAL – As the Montreal Impact’s Sanna Nyassi left training on Wednesday with a noticeable limp, one name followed immediately sprang to mind for those in attendance.
Bernardo Corradi.
With Nyassi having picked up a knock while chasing a ball near the end line – subsequently missing Thursday’s session – the odds that the Italian forward (above left, tangling with the Fire's Pável Pardo) could be called upon from the start this Saturday against the Columbus Crew (4 pm ET, MLS Live) rose considerably.
Although the team took precautions this week, the extent of the Gambian international’s injury doesn’t seem to worry head coach Jesse Marsch too much. Marsch is adamant Nyassi will be fit to play when the Montreal Impact make their debut on American soil.
Still, should Marsch err on the side of caution, Corradi sounds like a man who cannot wait to start his first game for the Impact.
“It’s impossible for me to be at 100 percent because I hadn’t played an official game for a few months,” Corradi told reporters earlier this week. “But if you don’t play, then you don’t reach that good condition. I’m working hard, and I hope I get more minutes to play and show how I can play.”
Corradi’s work in training indicates he is slowly, but surely, getting near match fitness. Marsch admitted the Impact’s No. 23 has a very good chance to play a part in Saturday’s game at Crew Stadium.
“Anytime you go through a week, you’re thinking about different options both from the start and off the bench,” the Montreal boss said. “Bernardo’s continued to get himself fit and we know that he brings something different, certainly [a savvy presence].”
Should Corradi start, chances are slim that he will play the full 90 minutes. For the 35-year-old, offering such a contribution is still some ways away, but Marsch’s words betray his eagerness to see the veteran striker do so.
“He’s getting closer [to 100 percent]. With Bernardo, you watch him play today and his soccer sharpness is better," Marsch offered. "Fitness-wise, he's moving himself along, and it's good to know that he's got even more to give.”
