MONTREAL – Last Saturday was just another day at the office for Davy Arnaud: His Montreal Impact broke an attendance record at the Olympic Stadium, he played up front and he scored a goal.
Summing up Arnaud’s day this way would be somewhat of a stretch, but it is not that far from reality. Against the LA Galaxy, Arnaud traded his usual midfield position for a spot in the hole, behind a target forward, and opened the scoring in a 1-1 draw played in front of a record 60,860-strong crowd.
GOAL: Arnaud pushes it home
The situation was not entirely unlike Impact’s home opener, a 1-1 tie against the Chicago Fire on March 17. While manager Jesse Marsch did not start Arnaud as a forward, he did swap positions with Sanna Nyassi before heading home the Impact’s first-ever MLS goal in front of a then-record 58,912 fans.
Arnaud has been having success when playing higher up the field, and he always seems to deliver on the big occasions, though he confesses he does not know exactly why that is the case. In the end, the Montreal skipper just wants to play, no matter where on the pitch.
“It’s a role I’m happy to play,” Arnaud told reporters on Tuesday. “If Jesse wants me to play there [I will]. I’ve kind of been back and forth between there and the midfield this year. Either way, it doesn’t really matter to me. Ultimately, Jesse’s making decisions that he feels put our team in the best position to win games. I’ve been lucky: With two big attendances, I’ve had goals.”
Marsch recognizes the Impact’s No. 22 could still be used as a forward, but he believes he will continue to “tweak with that as the season goes on.” Fittingly, Arnaud dropped back into midfield midway through the second half.
Moreover, the Montreal boss, well known for his burning desire to win during his playing days, is most pleased with Arnaud sharing a similar attitude.
“He’s done well for us on the left, on the right, in the middle, at certain moments at right back, underneath the forward, and he hasn’t complained to me once for playing him at all these different spots,” Marsch said. “Davy’s the kind of guy that just wants to go on the field and win. That’s what he brings to us: that competitive nature, that mentality.”
