James Rodriguez, a former World Cup star, will play his first home game on Sunday as Minnesota United faces the Seattle Sounders in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
The 34-year-old midfielder gained fame after winning the Golden Boot for Colombia at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He joined Minnesota United (1-2-1, 4 points) on February 6 but missed the first three games due to injury and visa issues.
Rodriguez made his debut in Major League Soccer last Sunday during a 6-0 defeat against Vancouver, where he played 26 minutes and created one scoring opportunity.
Minnesota United coach Cameron Knowles did not reveal Rodriguez’s expected involvement in the match against Seattle (3-1-0, 9 points) after practice on Saturday. “We’ll see,” he told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
After a significant loss last week, Rodriguez’s role might be crucial. Minnesota, which has let in the most goals in the Western Conference, fell behind 5-0 by the time he entered the game in the 64th minute.
Rodriguez commented on his debut, saying, “It was tough coming on like that. We were already losing badly, but I came on to do my job. I think I played well, and I feel good.”
Rodriguez will join the Colombian national team following the game and expressed eagerness for a strong performance at home, stating, “The good thing is that we’re at home, and we want to win.”
Seattle is playing its fifth match within 16 days and recently won 2-1 against Vancouver on Wednesday, securing a place in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup with a 5-2 aggregate win.
Paul Rothrock, who netted the game-winner in Seattle’s 1-0 MLS win over San Jose last Sunday, also scored the decisive goal in Wednesday’s match in the 83rd minute. This marks his fourth goal in five matches this season.
Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer praised Rothrock, saying, “He’s on a roll. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, he is playing at a really high level.”
This match is a rematch of last November’s playoff series, which ended in a penalty shootout. Minnesota’s goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair scored, while Seattle’s Andrew Thomas hit the crossbar.