Minnesota United handed new Young Designated PlayerThomas Chacon his first start for the club as the Loons drew Mexican side Pachuca 2-2 in a spirited international friendly at Allianz Field on Saturday night.
It was an eventual night for the 19-year-old Uruguayan playmaker, who arrived from Danubio last month for what was reported to be a club-record transfer fee of around $4 million.
Chacon took most of the Loons’ free kicks and showed promise with his technique, movement and vision. He earned a penalty kick in the second half, but was denied by Tuzos goalkeeper Alfonso Blanco after he stepped up to take the spot kick:
He would redeem himself in the late going by creating a turnover and springing Abu Danladi for the equalizer:
“He’ll be better for that,” said Minnesota head coach Adrian Heath of Chacon postgame. “It’s been a while since he played a full 90. We saw some nice little touches, some nice combination play, getting in nice spots, and he’ll get better.”
MNUFC’s other goal was a highlight unto itself, as another newcomer, defender Wilfried Moimbe-Tahrat, lashed a gorgeous curling free kick into the top corner. Read MNUFC's full recap here.
“I thought it was a really good game for a friendly game,” said Heath. “Most Mexican teams take them seriously when they come, put probably the strongest lineup that they could with the players that were away on international duty. I was really pleased with a lot of stuff I saw.”
Saturday’s affair was the final friendly of the year for MNUFC, who now wade into a hectic stretch of five league matches in September, starting with Wednesday’s visit to the Houston Dynamo (8:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada).
