James Rodriguez’s debut in MLS was not the fairy tale that fans imagined. On a night to forget at BC Place, Minnesota United suffered the worst defeat in its regular season history as it crashed to a 6-0 defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps. However, in the midst of the collective crisis, coach Cameron Knowles was blunt in assessing the Colombian star’s first minutes.
James Rodriguez’s difficult MLS debut
James entered the field in the 64th minute, replacing Tomas Chancalay, when the score was already a humiliating 5-0 against. Despite the unfortunate context, the Colombian showed glimpses of the class that took him to the European elite, actively participating in the circulation of the ball and generating a couple of chances from the corner.
At the end of the match, Knowles did not hide from the magnitude of the defeat, but was emphatic in rescuing the individual performance of his new star signing.
“He has quality on the ball and his ability to find his teammates. He sees the game at a different speed, he sees things before many other players, and he has the technical quality to involve his teammates in the game. I think he did well,” the coach told a press conference.
The lament of James Rodriguez’s new coach
The coach acknowledged that the context of the debut was not ideal for a player of Rodriguez’s stature. With the team completely overwhelmed by Vancouver’s offense, James had little room to change the course of a game that was already decided in the first half.
“It’s a shame that’s the circumstances we’re introducing him in,” Knowles lamented, referring to the six-goal deficit that marred the midfielder’s debut.
Now, James has the difficult task of lifting a team that was left in tatters and also to add as many minutes as possible to get in shape for the World Cup, which is the main objective of the former Real Madrid player.