Columbus Crew coach Gregg Berhalter says he was satisfied with how his side limited Didier Drogba's chances in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal and hopes for more of the same this Sunday.
The Crew kept Drogba off the scoresheet last week but Montreal still won their home leg 2-1. The teams return to Columbus for the second leg on Sunday (5 p.m. ET, ESPN), and Berhalter said he remains wary of Drogba's goal-scoring ability.
"I said it all last week and I'll say it again this week: He will get some chances," Berhalter said. "It's about limiting the chances he gets and making sure those opportunities aren't good chances.
"I think we did a reasonable job of that last game, and now it's continuing to have the same focus, the same intensity, the same strength to do it again."
Drogba drew attention last week for his sliding tackle on Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark and Columbus players said he was running his mouth throughout the match.
Berhalter, however, wasn't concerned by the Ivorian's antics.
"That's the game of soccer," the coach said. "In the game of soccer, you have different personalities on the field, different attributes of the players, and you've got to deal with all of that. So that's part of it, as far as I'm concerned."
Crew midfielder Wil Trapp said Drogba liked to go to ground at the slightest touch, but that Columbus is prepared for that.
"I think it gets in the fans' heads more than it gets in ours," he said. "Ultimately, you have to move on as quickly as possible. If the ref calls a foul, he calls a foul. You arguing is only going to aggravate the ref.
"So with a guy like that, you know he likes the contact and he'll go down. You just have to be smart with how you approach him and how you deal with him."
Center-back Gaston Sauro was matched up against Drogba in the first leg, and he said he welcomed the test against one of the world's top strikers.
"For me, it's a challenge," he said. "Any time you play a guy like Drogba, it's definitely a challenge. You have a player who's very strong and if you get too close, he can turn on you. He knows how to move his body well and get in certain places."
Sauro's defensive partner Michael Parkhurst said Drogba can be just as dangerous when creating chances for his teammates as he is shooting at goal.
The layoffs and the guys running through are extremely important," Parkhurst said. "The midfielders did an excellent job of tracking those guys and Gaston did a good job of being physical with him and knocking him off the ball a couple of times. It takes a whole team effort, it's not just the center backs.
"A lot of help is needed, and it's going to have to be the same thing -- a concerted effort to neutralize [Drogba] as well as the other pieces they have in the attack."
Also on Thursday, Crew forward Kei Kamara was named MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year for his work helping to rebuild schools in his home country of Sierra Leone.