Colombian player James Rodriguez is set to make his MLS debut on Sunday as Minnesota United faces the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Rodriguez became famous in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he won the Golden Boot by scoring six goals and leading Colombia to the quarterfinals. He joined Minnesota United on February 6 after playing for Club Leon in Mexico. In a video shared on X by streamer Pelicanger, Rodriguez mentioned he intends to play on Sunday.
“Yes, with the grace of God,” said Rodriguez, who missed Minnesota’s 3-1 loss to Nashville on March 7 due to a leg injury. “Against (Thomas) Muller’s team. I think it’s called Vancouver.”
Muller, who won the Golden Boot in 2010 with Germany, and Rodriguez played together for two seasons at Bayern Munich from 2017 to 2019.
Head coach Cameron Knowles confirmed that Rodriguez returned to training on Tuesday for Minnesota United, which has a record of 1-1-1, totaling 4 points.
Vancouver, with a perfect record of 3-0-0 and 9 points, is currently among four teams tied for first place in the Western Conference alongside San Diego, San Jose, and Los Angeles FC. They have outscored opponents 8-1 in MLS matches but recently suffered a 3-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders at home in the CONCACAF Round of 16.
Seattle’s Paul Arriola scored two goals early in the match. Despite controlling the game with more shot attempts (16-10) and possession (64.2%), Vancouver struggled to find the net, registering only three shots on goal. The second leg of the matchup is scheduled for Wednesday in Spokane, Washington, while Lumen Field prepares for World Cup matches this summer.
“We had a lot of shots and opportunities, but we did not hit the target,” said Vancouver coach Jesper Sorensen. “We need to be calmer in those moments to take quality shots instead of rushing them.”
The Whitecaps now face a quick turnaround to host Minnesota United.
“It’s tough, but we have two days for recovery,” goalie Yohei Takaoka stated. “We have a game in two days against Minnesota, and we need to react positively.”