PORTLAND, OREGON – It was a bright, albeit brief, debut for Yordy Reyna.
After arriving in Vancouver on Saturday, training with the team for the first time on Monday, and travelling to Portland on Tuesday, Reyna saw his first minutes for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Minnesota United FC.
The Peruvian played the final 25 minutes of the match – and was quite active throughout.
“He pressed at the right times, he’s got a terrific touch and footwork, and he works hard,” Robinson told whitecapsfc.com. “He shoots from distance, which is good, so hopefully a few of them can fly in. And he’s always trying to make that final pass. So it was a good run-out for him.”
Indeed, it was.
Reyna, in fact, played a key role in the build-up to Vancouver’s equalizer in the 82nd minute. First, he took a good first touch on a cross-field switch from Russell Teibert. Then, he juked the first defender with a cheeky little nutmeg before eluding thee more defenders. Eventually, he lost his footing, but the ball fell to Teibert who fired a 25-yard strike into the bottom right corner.
It was a classy play from start to finish.
Reyna, who played centrally as a withdrawn striker, nearly won the game himself in stoppage time, firing this speculative long-range effort just over the goal.
Robinson also praised Reyna’s pressing ability and work ethic, which was on full display in the highlight below. Look how quickly he closes down that space. Sometimes, what players do off the ball can be just as important as what they do on it, so these types of plays should not go unnoticed.
Yes, it was a preseason match. And yes, it was a small sample.
But Reyna certainly looks to be a fun little player to watch this season.
Whitecaps FC continue the Timbers Preseason Tournament on Sunday vs. Real Salt Lake (2:30 p.m. PT on whitecapsfc.com), before facing the host Timbers in their preseason finale on Wednesday. The ‘Caps will then open their 2017 campaign against New York Red Bulls in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals (Leg 1: February 22 at Red Bull Arena, Leg 2: March 2 at BC Place).
Single match tickets are on sale now.
