Matti Peltola made a triumphant debut on the North American courts. Supporters of Peltola’s team DC United showed their opinion because of the team’s training in Saudi Arabia
Midfielder for Minnesota United Robin Lod managed to score in his club team for the first time after his knee injury that ruined last season.
Teemu Pukin and Lodi’s Minnesota United started the North American football series MLS season with a 2–1 win Leo Väisänen and Alexander Ring representing Austin FC.
Lod scored the opening goal of the match in the 34th minute of the game. Pukki passed the ball For Jeong Sang-binwhose cross Lod continued into the goal.
– He’s back, Minnesota’s X account posted.
Minnesota took a 2–0 lead in overtime by Alejandro Flores with a hit, but Austin still narrowed moments later.
Lod was substituted in the 68th minute and Pukki a minute later. Austin’s Väisänen was taken off the field in the first half due to an injury, Ring, on the other hand, played the full minutes at the bottom of the midfield.
Lod, who is part of the standard equipment of the Finnish national team, last played in MLS in May 2022. He moved to Minnesota in 2019 from the Spanish club Sportin Gijon and has scored 26 goals in 106 matches in a Minnesota shirt. Last season, Lod played only 10 series matches due to a knee injury.
Minnesota’s season has started in a special way, because the team does not have a permanent head coach. The club gave its head coach To Adrian Heath fired in October.
He served as the interim head coach in the team’s opening game Cameron Knowles. However, media reports from North America said that Minnesota had hired a new head coach on Friday. Welsh Eric Ramsay becomes Minnesota’s head coach from the English Premier League club Manchester United’s coaching team.
Knowles still has to pilot the team at least next Saturday in the home game against Columbus.
A winning debut at Peltola, the fans showed their opinion
Matti Peltola21, played his first match in MLS when the Finn’s team DC United defeated the Belgian forward of the New England Revolution Christian Benteke with a hat trick 3–1.
– As a striker, it is important to score goals in order to increase self-confidence. Especially now that I’m one of the regular players in the team, 33-year-old Benteke, who previously played in the Premier League and the Belgian national team, said.
Peltola played the whole match at the bottom of the midfield and performed his job in an exemplary manner.
DC United is building a new team and has acquired 18 players for this season, most of whom are young like Peltola.
– We try to be an attacking, active and sometimes creative team. Today we showed those things on the field, head coach Troy Lesesne said.
Not all the team’s supporters rejoiced over DC United’s home win. Before the season, the team held a training camp in Saudi Arabia, known for its human rights violations. Because of this, the organized fan groups did not sing together or play drums during the match.
This season, eight Finns are playing in the MLS. In addition to Puki, Lodi, Väisänen, Ringi and Peltola Jere Uronen representing Atlanta United and Lassi Lappalainen CF Montreal.
Inter Miami Robert Taylor already had time to open his goal account Lionel Messi’s input earlier this week.