MONTREAL — Omar Browne hadn’t even put on a Montreal Impact jersey, yet Impact fans already liked him.
The Panamanian, whose name is pronounced ‘Brown-ee,’ scored twice against Toronto FC in the Concacaf Champions League Round of 16. Three months later, Browne’ childhood dream of signing with a club outside his home country came true. The midfielder joins the Impact on loan from Panama’s C.A. Independiente for the rest of the season with an option to buy, it was announced Tuesday.
“I was told recently that there was a big rivalry between Montreal and Toronto, it was a coincidence,” Browne said through an interpreter. “I just want to play for the team, I’m waiting for them to give me a chance and I will try to do my best on the field for the fans.”
Browne chose to wear number 19 with the Impact, a change from the No. 99 he wore with Club Atletico Independiente. This change reflects his new life outside of Panama.
“That was the choice I had, now it’s number 19,” Browne said. “Now that I’m out of Panama, 19 will be my number and I will continue with that number later on.”
One more weapon in the arsenal
With Browne’s arrival, Impact coach Remi Garde rejoiced about checking a need for his squad off his list.
“What’s interesting with Omar, it’s what I was looking for, a left-footed offensive player that can play on the right,” Garde said. “Given the defenses that we play against or given the teams we play it gives us different possibilities.”
Garde added that during his scouting he also noticed that Browne played games in a central role behind a striker. This offers Garde the possibility of going beyond his usual 4-3-3 formation.
“If he is in support of a striker it would be in a 4-2-3-1 setup, which we don’t use a lot nowadays,” Garde said. “But I don’t really use it because I don’t think it fits with the best individual qualities of our players. If he reveals himself at that position, then why not?”
Browne in the lineup: Sooner rather than later?
The Panamanian international won’t need a lot to be in game shape since he recently played games with his former club.
When asked about his presence in the lineup as soon as next week, Garde’s short answer was “Why not?” The long answer, however, revolves around getting the necessary paperwork for him to even be available to play.
“Physically he’s good because he played a lot of games now we don’t have all of the administrative authorizations, notably a work permit, for him to play,” Garde said. “We are doing our best and we hope that it will be possible [for Browne to play] this weekend.”