27 August 2024
The tiny Caribbean island of San Andres, Colombia, is home to teal-colored waters, white-sand beaches and a coral reef so vibrant it’s protected as a UNESCO world biosphere.
The island about 470 miles north of the Colombian mainland has an estimated population of less than 60,000 people and is now home to two Minnesota United players, former forward Angelo Rodriguez and new defender Jefferson Diaz.
What a small, Loon-y world.
“We have crossed paths a few times,” Diaz said of Rodriguez last week via club translator Marleine Calderon. “We have played some Christmas games in San Andres. Before coming here, we talked a bit and were in communication. He helped me with many things and explained things I didn’t know. … He’s a great person.”
Rodriguez, who scored nine goals in 2,613 minutes in 2018-19, and Diaz, who debuted Saturday, also played for Colombian club AD Cali, but didn’t overlap.
Diaz, who signed to a three-year contract with MNUFC, said Rodriguez taught him about the team, living Minnesota and logistical things such as finding an apartment.
“We talked mostly about the club, how things were like and how important this club is,” Diaz said in Spanish.
Diaz joined the Loons in training two weeks ago and was inserted as a right center back in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Seattle at Allianz Field. He will want some moments back, including a bad pass and lost aerial duel, both of which turned into Sounders’ goals.
“That’s a double-edged sword,” head coach Eric Ramsay said of the poor pass. “We brought him in because he’s got a real personality on the ball. He can handle the ball. He can play into the middle. He will give us some composure and give us what we’ve lacked, I think, for large spells. …
“But with that comes mistakes, comes forced passes, and I’m sure he would be very disappointed with the first one. But I think if you take … him as a project as a whole, we don’t want to discourage him from playing into the middle. I’m not going to draw too many conclusions from that one.”
Ramsay said that on the whole, Diaz’s debut showed athleticism, aggression and quality. Diaz, who has a history as a forward, was playing on the left side of a back three at Cali and for a team that doesn’t have as many patterned movements as MNUFC plays with, Ramsay said.
Options up top
The Loons made a rarer shift in formation to two forwards in a 5-3-2 set-up Saturday, and newcomer striker Kelvin Yeboah impressed with both the team’s goals.
With Tani Oluwaseyi likely to return from a hamstring injury this weekend, he could replace Teemu Pukki and pair with Yeboah up top. Bongi Hlongwane and Sang Bin Jeong also could factor in on the forward line, Ramsay said.
“Tani, of course, in addition to the forwards we’ve got now, and certainly in Kelvin, will make us a very difficult team to play against,” Ramsay said.
Oluwaseyi, who was hurt in the Leagues Cup win over Necaxa on July 30, leads the team with eight goals in 804 minutes this season.
Briefly
New midfielder Joaquín Pereyra had his immigration meeting in Argentina on Monday. The new Designated Player is now awaiting the return of his visa and passport. Once he obtains those, he will immediately travel to Minnesota. It’s unlikely he plays at San Jose on Saturday; more likely his debut will come at St. Louis on Sept. 14. … Five Loons are expected to join their national teams next week: Dayne St. Clair and Oluwaseyi (Canada), Robin Lod and Pukki (Finland) and Michael Boxall (New Zealand). It’s possible for other players, as well, primarily Joseph Rosales (Honduras), Zarek Valentin (Puerto Rico) and Matus Kmet (Slovakia).