Two new players had polarizing debuts for Minnesota United on Saturday.
One experience will be cherished and recalled; the other won’t be looked back on fondly. One was historic, the other harrowing.
Striker Kelvin Yeboah scored a penalty kick and added a second goal with a delicate chip, while defender Jefferson Diaz’s sketchy actions led to two goals in the Seattle Sounders’ 3-2 win at Allianz Field.
The Loons (9-11-6, 33 points) continue to be owned by the Sounders (11-8-7, 40 points). Seattle is now 13-1-2 against Minnesota in MLS regular-season play since 2017.
“They don’t give you anything,” midfielder Wil Trapp said of Seattle. “And they will punish you when you make mistakes, and that’s what happened.”
Diaz came to MNUFC in the summer transfer window from Deportivo Cali in Colombia with a reputation for being aggressive on the ball. It hurt him in the 11th minute when he attempted an unnecessary diagonal pass. His target, Robin Lod, slipped, Seattle won the ball back, sprang a counter attack that caught Michael Boxall on a bad angle and allowed Jordan Morris to score first.
“That’s one — hedge your bets on those plays,” Trapp said. “If you are going to play a diagonal, maybe over-hit it, right? Hit it far. Not try to play it into the middle of the field. But again for a debut, these are misfires. We all have them. I think unfortunate for him, it’s learning the hard way. But sometimes that is the best way to learn.”
Yeboah arrived from Genoa in Italy with ultra confidence and one of three high-priced Designated Player labels. That belief benefited him on two memorable occasions.
When a penalty was awarded to MNUFC upon video review, Yeboah immediately pointed to his own chest to indicate he would take it. He did it right in front of fellow forward Teemu Pukki. The only hesitation he showed came when he paused in his approach to the ball, forcing Stefan Frei to go to the left, and he calmly put the ball in the right side of the net.
“I’m thankful to Pukki and all the other players that allowed me to take it,” Yeboah said. “I’m grateful to unlock myself, and it was great.”
The equalizer stood up for only four minutes before a backpedaling Diaz lost an aerial dual on Jackson Ragen’s goal in the 28th minute.
Yeboah then notched his second goal in the 56th minute with a delicate chip over Frei. Wil Trapp threaded a through-ball assist to spring Yeboah in on goal.
“Really confident player,” Loons head coach Eric Ramsay said about Yeboah. “Real strong sense of self, real assurance. He will in no doubt add to us, which is, of course, what you would expect of a player that you bring in the way in which we brought him in.”
With the brace, Yeboah became the first MNUFC player to score two goals in his debut match. Five other players have scored in their first game with Minnesota, including Christian Ramirez, Darwin Quintero, Luis Amarilla, Franco Fragapane and Alejandro Bran, who did it earlier this season.
For all Yeboah produced, it was still Seattle’s game. Albert Rusnak scored the winner in the 75th minute. His dribble put Lod on the turf and he blasted a long-range shot past Dayne St. Clair.
Briefly
Fellow newcomer Matus Kmet was not included in the game-day roster. Ramsay’s first public comment about Kmet earlier this month was how the 24-year-old right wing back would need an adjustment period from the Slovakian league to MLS. On Saturday, Ramsay reiterate that Kmet “has a little way to go” and “we will be patient with him for sure.”
