By Gregory Caltabanis 

Coming off four straight losses in league play, the Montreal Impact’s spot in the postseason hangs in the balance. Remi Garde’s men are currently the lowest-scoring side in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and have only bested the struggling Columbus Crew and expansion side FC Cincinnati in the goals column. 

With Toronto FC and the New England Revolution hot on their heels, this team needed a change. First, Harry Novillo’s contract was terminated, freeing up an international spot on the roster. Following his departure, the Impact announced the arrival of Finnish international Lassi Lappalainen, via their parent club Bologna in Serie A.

The 20-year-old grew up in HJK Helsinki’s youth ranks and eventually made his way to the senior side in 2015. He has since made five appearances for the national team, representing Finland across all age levels in the process. But what exactly can the Montreal faithful expect from Lappalainen? 

A classic 1-v-1 winger by trade, the former HJK Helsinki man will be a welcome addition in La Belle Province. 

"Lassi is a winger with great speed and high motivation to work with the team,” said Juha Malinen, Finland’s U21 manager. 

“On the left, he can use his skills in the pocket and his weapon — his shot — while if you need him to run into spaces, he will work better from the right side,” Mailmen added. 

Malinen has managed Lappalainen both internationally at the U21 level and domestically at Rovaniemen Palloseura. Near the end of the 2017 season, the winger was loaned out to the Finnish side with Malinen at the helm and made an immediate impact scoring five minutes into his debut. 

Throughout this brief loan spell, Lappalainen impressed scoring four goals in 13 appearances, prompting RoPS to extend his stay. The following season, the 20-year-old had the most productive season of his young career, finishing as RoPS’s top goalscorer on 11 strikes and leading the side to a respectable second-place finish. 

Typically, Lappalainen is often deployed from the left wing and regularly cuts infield onto his preferred foot. 

« Je suis bon avec le ballon pour dribbler quelques joueurs, je suis rapide et je travaille fort. » Lassi Lappalainen

"I am good with the ball, dribbling past a few players, I am fast and I work hard." - Laissi Lappalainen#IMFC #AllezMTL pic.twitter.com/2ilDs9NQew

— Impact de Montréal (@impactmontreal) July 25, 2019

“He loves to shoot with his right and is also quite good at combination play but his left foot could be a bit better,” Malinen said. “His main strength is his speed, especially when beating the defender within the first steps.” 

Be it for Finland’s U21 side or in the Finnish Veikkausliiga, Lappalainen has always been a versatile forward. 

“Lassi is able to adapt to a wide variety of styles of play on the wing,” said Jouko Kylmäoja, Finland’s U21 video analyst, someone who has worked extensively with Lappalainen. With the Impact’s wingers struggling, Lappalainen could alleviate some pressure and play just about anywhere across the front- line. 

“Off the pitch, Lassi is a pretty typical Finnish chap — not the most vocal, but hard-working and focused,” added Kylmäoja. 

Currently, the Impact are crying out for a winger with the end product, especially given Ignacio Piatti’s recurring injury concerns limiting him to just six appearances on the season. Enter Lappalainen, a player who has consistently found the back of the net across all levels and is eager to prove himself in a new league. 

According to Kylmäoja, Lappalainen is at his best when tasked with taking on his man and could make a significant impact if given space to get in behind. While the opposition tend to sit deep against Garde’s possession-based setup, the Finnish international could find ways to hurt Major League Soccer sides with his shot. 

Defensively, however, he maintains, the former HJK Helsinki man could still improve. 

“Always reliable, Lassi never had issues altering his tempo or work-rate across different levels,” said Kylmäoja. 

While Lappalainen has all the tools to hit the ground running, adapting to a new league isn’t always easy. 

“The tempo and pace of the game in the Finnish Premier League has received quite a bit of criticism lately, so it will be nice to see how Lassi will adapt to tougher games, especially when the opposition will be closing in much faster than in the Finnish Veikkausliiga,” Kylmäoja said. 

Given he will need time to adapt to his new surroundings, Garde and his men will play a pivotal role in his development. However, his former manager believes Lappalainen will have no issues acclimating himself to his new surroundings. 

“His work ethic is high and he never causes problems inside the team,” Malinen said. 

In Montreal, the 20-year-old will also find fellow Finnish international Jukko Raitala already at the club. 

“If he is trusted by the coaching staff, he will help the club for sure,” concluded the tactician. 

With Garde’s men sliding down the table, Lappalainen’s keen eye for goal and change of pace may just prove to be exactly what’s needed ahead of the Impact’s final playoff push.

Gregory is a Montreal Impact reporter by day and an enraged goalkeeper by night. Follow him on Twitter.