MONTREAL – Didier Drogba has launched his Major League Soccer career with a hat-trick for new club Montreal in a 4-2 win over Chicago.
The former Chelsea striker opened his account 21 minutes into Saturday’s game before the Fire battled back to take a 3-2 lead early in the second half.
But two typically clinical Drogba strikes just after the hour mark capped a memorable evening for the 37-year-old Ivory Coast legend, who later celebrated by presenting his jersey to a fan.
“The crowd was amazing,” he told reporters.
“And, you know, this Man of the Match that they gave me at the end, it’s for them. I give it to them.”
Drogba’s treble was the classic striker’s full house – one goal scored with his left boot, another with his right and another from his head.
It left interim Impact coach Mauro Biello purring with pleasure: “What can I say? What a performance from Didier.”
“He’s such a committed person,” Biello said. “He’s won everywhere.
“He came here with a great spirit, with such a will to win and we saw that tonight.”
Nevertheless Drogba was not happy with his team’s display.
“For me, it’s not a good result,” Drogba said.
“The most important thing is that you get the three points but when you look at the game itself, you know we’ve got a lot of things to change and to work on. There’s always room for improvement in this team.”
