MINNESOTA UNITED | ANALYSIS
Minnesota United’s newest designated player is a left-footed attacking midfielder who hails from Argentina.
It’s just as well that somebody seems to have talked Joaquín Pereyra out of wearing number 10 with the Loons, because – besides nationality and foot preference – he and the now-departed Emanuel Reynoso aren’t really comparable, at least in the way they play.
“He’s not a number 10 in the traditional sense – I mean, he wore number 10 there, but he’s somewhere between a wide player and a number 10; he’s pretty versatile,” said Loons manager Eric Ramsay.
The phrase “Argentinian attacking midfielder” conjures up an image of a certain type of player, one that’s become a standby for MLS teams: a gifted passer, usually diminutive, a chance creator that also scores goals and generally is described using the words “maestro” or “wizard.” Lionel Messi is the world’s greatest example, at least since Diego Maradona, but MLS has had plenty of others, like Reynoso, Lucho Acosta in Cincinnati, or the now-departed Thiago Almada in Atlanta.
Whatever Pereyra might end up being in MLS, it’s unlikely to be that. The 25-year-old Argentinian got his first minutes for Minnesota, such as they were, in an intrasquad scrimmage on Thursday morning, and displayed a game that had almost nothing in common with the Loons’ previous Argentinian designated player.
Pereyra is listed at 5′11″, which doesn’t make him towering, but certainly gives him more of a physical presence than other attackers. He’s technically sound and calm on the ball, quick without it being the main feature of his game, and seemingly unhurried even in transition situations.
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Publish date : 2024-09-06 06:23:00
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