VANCOUVER, B.C. – There’s plenty of anticipation building for Saturday night’s game at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex, which promises to see the debut of Didier Drogba for Phoenix Rising FC.

Among those looking forward to the contest? Certainly, Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 forward Gloire Amanda, who grew up admiring the former UEFA Champions League and Premier League champion as he built his game, first in Edmonton and then the Whitecaps FC Residency.

“His strength and power,” the 18-year-old Amanda told WhitecapsFC.com’s Gino Cutri on what stood out about Drogba. “When he gets the ball inside the box he looks to finish. It doesn’t matter how it goes in as long as the ball goes in the back of the net. He gets the job done and I think that’s something I need to improve on.”

While the occasion promises to be a major one for the USL as a whole, not just for Rising FC, there’s also the fact that it’s an important game for two teams that currently sit outside the top eight in the USL’s Western Conference. 

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WFC2 has taken victories in two of its past three contests, including a road win last Sunday afternoon against the Portland Timbers 2. The opportunity to go up against not only Drogba but what is expected to be another sellout crowd in Phoenix could be a boost for WFC2 as they look to pick up an important result on the road.

“It’s going to be a really exciting experience,” said Vancouver goalkeeper Sean Melvin. “Obviously, everyone knows where [Drogba] played in his career, what he’s accomplished, so it’s going to be really cool to play against a guy with that experience and see what he can do.”

After the 90 minutes is over, though, there might be some post-game positioning to see who might get a pretty nice memento of the night.

“There’s been a little talk in the dressing room,” said Amanda of a potential jersey swap with the former Ivory Coast international. “But we’ll just have to wait and see who gets lucky I guess.”