Minnesota United might have stumbled out of the gates in the first couple games of the 2021 season, but one of the silver linings through two difficult losses to Seattle and Real Salt Lake has been rookie Justin McMaster. The left winger was drafted out of Wake Forest by MNUFC with the 17th pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft and has come off the bench twice in two games. Against Real Salt Lake he got his first MLS assist on Minnesota’s lone goal when he found Robin Lod unmarked in the 86th minute.
We caught up with the Kingston, Jamaica native after training this week to talk about the nerves that come with your first MLS appearances and the play that led to his assist.
What was your immediate reaction to hearing your name called toward the end of the Seattle game?
“I was definitely excited — just even making the roster. Just traveling with the team. It was a first for me. So, it was cool seeing how we got to stay in the hotel. Flying on the charter flight was a really cool experience for me. The day of the game, I wasn’t really sure if I was going to play or not. I remember walking out, about to warm up and Ian [Fuller] was just like — he kind of gave me a hint — like, just be ready.
“Going on, I was definitely excited. I got goosebumps going on. When Adrian called my name, I was a little bit surprised because I know he doesn’t usually use a lot of subs. Just going on, he was telling me just work hard for the team and finish out the game. Of course, it was a tough game to go into because we were already down three goals. So, I just tried my best to work for the team.”
How much of an adjustment is it to go from starting in college to going back to having to come into the game from the bench?
“It’s always tough coming in and getting used to the pace of the game. Coming in now, it’s definitely a different level from college. The intensity is a lot higher. In this league, if you make any mistake, you can get punished for it. So perfection is standard. Having full focus all the time is an essential.”
You were on the field for just about 10 minutes against Seattle. Did it feel like it went fast or slow?
“I felt like it went by quick. I just remember coming on, I didn’t get that much touches. I probably touched the ball four times. And one of them I almost scored on. I think it went by really quickly. Because I just remember the final whistle blowing and going right into fitness with Damian [Roden] our trainer. People think it’s just over once the final whistle blows!”
Jumping ahead to the game against Real Salt Lake, what were your first impressions of getting on the pitch at Allianz Field for a game, especially in front of fans?
“It’s a beautiful stadium. I got my first tour two days before the game. You know, with coronavirus and everything, it’s obviously not the full experience. But just the game alone against Real Salt Lake, it kind of gave me a little tease of what the actual atmosphere would be like if the stadium was actually full. And, even against Real Salt Lake, I feel like the atmosphere was really cool. It was really vibrant. It’s a really intimate stadium. You can hear all the fans and everything. I really enjoyed it.”
On the play that led to your assist, it looks like you’re hanging back a bit at the top of the box to make some space for a secondary run in. Is that accurate?
“I saw Rey [Emanuel Reynoso] play the ball down the line to Hassani [Dotson] and the wing back that was marking me, he was just ball-watching. He was just watching the ball. He didn’t see where I was, so I kind of just slowed my run down a little bit and I stayed behind him to time it so that I could run onto the ball. I saw Robin took a touch and it was behind Robin a little bit. Hassani even told me after the game, he was like, ‘That pass was for you!’ So I thought the ball was coming right to me because I was ready to shoot. But Robin ended up touching it. If you watch the video, you’ll see it was behind me, so I had to take some steps backwards. And then I saw Robin to the side of me, so I just took a soft touch and tried to put the ball in his direction so he could shoot one-time.”
When the ball came off Robin’s foot, were you thinking shot or did you know right away it was going to be behind you?
“I could tell right away. It would be very tough for me to get a shot off there. And, my body position was off. I would have to take another touch to turn around. So when I saw Robin, I was just like, alright, he was wide open. He had no defenders around him. So I just touched it towards him and his finish was a beautiful finish.”
