MONTREAL – Ultimately, Bernardo Corradi and Marco Di Vaio never got to combine for a Montreal Impact goal. But they did for a Montreal Impact signing.
It was Corradi who introduced midfielder Andrea Pisanu, who signed a one-year loan deal with Montreal on Jan. 4, to the Impact front office. The Cagliari, Italy, native joined the team on trial during their postseason tour of Italy, and the superb service he relentlessly provided Marco Di Vaio with against Fiorentina on Nov. 15 convinced the club to make him an offer.
Fittingly, it was Di Vaio, who used to be Pisanu’s captain at Bologna, who welcomed him in Montreal. And crucially, the Di Vaio family eased the concerns of the father Pisanu became three years ago.
“When we got to Marco’s, my daughter and his two girls started playing together immediately,” Pisanu recalled with a broad smile as he talked to the media on Wednesday. “The fact that they clicked took a big weight off my shoulders.”
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Pisanu’s January tweets indicate that his family has indeed found happiness in Montreal, and the player is slowly, but surely, regaining his sharpness. The midfielder, who scored six goals in 75 career Serie A appearances, admits that he will need time to adapt to the physicality of the North American game, but he has his teammates’ attitude during the Italy tour to draw inspiration from.
“They saw the tour as a learning experience, and they were taking everything in,” the 31-year-old recalled. “So now that I’m here, I have to adopt a similar approach, and I can also help the younger guys with my experience and contribute in any way I possibly can.”
By filling a specific need, for example. Pisanu feels comfortable in a variety of positions, but chances are that he will try to make one of the wide midfield spots his. His assured technique and smart decision-making with the ball should help Montreal diversify their play on the flanks.
“I think that what I was brought in for was to score goals,” Pisanu said. “I’m more of an offensive player. And more goals equals more wins, and more wins equals more points, and more points equals playoffs.”
