Impact signs Corradi ahead of home opener

With more than 50,000 fans expected for Saturday’s home opener at Olympic Stadium, the Montreal Impact has made an attempt to shore up the team’s attack.

The club announced Thursday that former Serie A star Bernardo Corradi has been signed. The Italian had been on trial with the club during the preseason.

Now, Corradi’s days of being a European star have long since passed. He has moved from top-flight star to journeyman. He’s 35 now — and he seems more a player who would have fit in the NASL of the 1970s, an aging veteran who may be more about the name than the substance.

Corradi scored all of one goal over the last three seasons at Udinese.

But, when Corradi was in his prime, he was a dangerous player. His best years came in 2003-2004, when he and Argentine star Claudio Lopez formed a dangerous strike partnership at Lazio.

But Corradi has never been a No. 1 option; he is best used as a player who creates space and provides the ball for a clear top striking threat. In his best days, with Lazio, he could get 10 goals a season. But the measure of Corradi’s success was how much better he made Lopez.

“I’m happy to join the club and the Impact family,” said Corradi in a release issued by the club. “I had a feeling early on that it would be a good fit for both sides. Now, I will do my best to help the team reach the level that this club and this city deserve.”