MONTREAL – Some “day-to-days” are longer than others.
While Montreal Impact center back Matteo Ferrari will take some more time off, forward Marco Di Vaio could play a part in Saturday night’s fixture at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park against the Colorado Rapids (9 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
Di Vaio, who has not played since tweaking his hamstring in Montreal’s 4-0 loss at Sporting Kansas City on April 19, was inserted into scrimmages this week one day earlier than planned.
“Yes, I think I’m ready to go,” Di Vaio told reporters in French on Wednesday. “I trained yesterday, alone at first and then with the team, and today I took part in the whole session. I feel good after the injury. I can go.”
Ferrari, for his part, cannot. A usually steady contributor – he failed to play 90 minutes only twice in 35 MLS regular season and playoff games from May 2013 to April 2014 – the 34-year-old Ferrari has been out with a calf injury since the beginning of May.
Caution is the name of the game in Ferrari’s case, as Montreal try to give themselves a chance to count on as many defensive options as possible when the MLS and Amway Canadian Championship fixtures pile up over the next two weeks.
“I don’t know exactly how long [he’ll be out], but in his case, he felt something and he doesn’t want to tear his calf and miss six-to-eight weeks,” assistant coach Mauro Biello told reporters in French on Wednesday. “So it’s best to take another week, maybe, to recover 100 percent and get back to training when he’s ready.”
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Montreal are being similarly careful when it comes to rookie right back Eric Miller, struggling with a thigh injury, and center back Adrian Lopez, whose recovery from knee surgery has been handled with extreme caution. Nelson Rivas is off the injury report, however, and could be available for head coach Frank Klopas in Colorado.
