Oluwaseyi ended the regular season with eight goals and six assists — especially impressive numbers given that the Canadian striker played less than 1,100 minutes this year, the approximate equivalent of 12 full games. He finished the year in the top 10 in MLS for both goals per 90 minutes and goals plus assists per 90 minutes, up there with the much bigger names that made up everyone’s MVP shortlists this year.
“We have, over the last couple of months, really recaptured that sense of us having a very strong squad, and almost that guarantee that players that are coming on are going to be able to give us what we need,” said Ramsay, who was clearly thrilled, but more about the depth in his team than his own managerial genius.
Pereyra, not Yeboah or Jefferson Díaz, might have been the summer signing the Loons were most excited about — and after seven games, it feels like Minnesota fans are starting to see why. Pereyra, who looked restricted in his first few games for the Loons, has started to grow into his role as a creator on the left side of the Minnesota attack — which, for him, means that the Loons see him popping up across the front of the attack.
In the first half, Pereyra spent as much time in the center of the pitch as he did combining with Joseph Rosales down the left side — and it led to more space as well for Rosales, who was very near to getting his first goal of the year.
“He was very good today — I would say that was his best game for sure,” Ramsay said. “He gave us what we wanted from him, which is security on the ball. He gives us a sense of calmness. He gives us a sense of the ball’s not going to turn over cheaply on that side — and he struck the balance well between offering us that but also making sure that he was threatening the last line, and he was looking forward. Because that’s the player that that we signed; that’s the player that I watched a lot of when he was in Argentina.”
The Loons held pregame ceremonies to thank three players for their contributions to the team. Zarek Valentin, who is retiring, addressed the crowd after a tribute video from the team. Goalkeeper Clint Irwin, who’s become the third-choice goalkeeper and hasn’t been in the matchday squad since midsummer, was presented with a framed jersey from the team, to thank him for his two seasons in Minnesota.
