Montreal Impact goalkeeper Clément Diop is primed to play a crucial role for his squad at the upcoming Major League Soccer (MLS) is Back Tournament held in the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, from July 8 to August 11.
The 26-year-old Parisian-born footballer made only two league appearances last season with the Impact. However, he did play in four Canadian Championship matches, and he was starting to gain trust from management.
“I think I changed a lot as a person and as a footballer, I think I’m much more professional than I was in the past when I was in L.A.,” Diop said during a video conference Friday. “I’m working way harder and I’m trying to be much more focused than I used to be.”
It hasn’t been an easy road for the Senegalese international, playing his first two seasons in the MLS with the L.A. Galaxy. He made 15 appearances in 2017, but the Galaxy were undergoing a tumultuous period.
L.A. finished dead last that season with an 8-18-8 record and the second most goals against with 67. Diop was picked up by Montreal at the MLS Waiver Draft in the following season. They re-signed him at the end of the 2018 season.
Diop admits that he was never a very patient person throughout his career, but it’s something that he picked up with age. Spending his first season with the Impact on the bench was a difficult pill to swallow, but it taught him a lot, he explained.
It’s a situation he doesn’t want to relive again anytime soon. He hopes that with his continued work ethic he can acquire more confidence from the coaching staff and more starts at the MLS tournament.
Diop gears up for MLS is Back Tournament
By Michael Boriero - Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
