Talk about making a splash in your new league! Minnesota United midfielder Nectarios Triantis has earned his second Team of the Matchday appearance in just his third regular season match for the club. His equalizing goal in the 65th minute earned his side a point in style, adding another exclamation point to his fantastic start to life in MLS.
After earning his second start in regular-season action, the club’s newest holding midfielder lined up next to Wil Trapp in the double pivot, giving his side a solid, dynamic midfield pairing that proved to be essential in this matchup. When the Rapids went ahead late in the first half, they prompted a shift in formation from Coach Ramsay, who turned his usual 5-4-1 into a 4-2-3-1 that relied heavily upon Trapp and Triantis to connect the field and turn defense into attack. That’s exactly what they did.
As the game began to get increasingly stretched, a late run from Triantis paid dividends. A promising Loons attack had just broken down, causing the ball to bounce into open space beyond the cluster at the top of the 18. Triantis stepped to the ball with acres of space and plenty of time, lined up his shot without hesitation, and struck the ball into the upper right corner of the goal with power and precision. The strike — from about 25 yards out — proved to be the momentum-changer his side needed, as they went on to pile pressure on the Rapids in what was an increasingly fluid second half of action. The goal was so good, in fact, that it even earned the Energy Moment of the Matchday, standing out in what was an exciting slate of action across the league.
Though he’s played just over 200 minutes for his new club, Triantis has already tallied a pair of goals and an assist. He’s fitting in perfectly as a piece of the MNUFC midfield, having brought a unique mixture of defensive acumen, ball-carrying ability, and attacking know-how that has helped him play as a complete midfielder, complementing everything the Loons already do well and adding some needed freshness. Congrats, Nectar; let’s keep the good form going!
F: Dor Turgeman (NE), Son Heung-Min (LAFC), Joseph Paintsil (LA)
M: Indiana Vassilev (PHI), Nectarios Triantis (MIN), Braian Ojeda (RSL), Dante Sealy (MTL)
D: Andrew Gutman (CHI), Thiago Martins (NYC), Alex Freeman (ORL)
GK: Sean Johnson (TOR)
Coach: Pascal Jansen (NYC)
Bench: Pedro Gallese (ORL), Artem Smolyakov (LAFC), Andy Najar (NSH), Albert Rusnák (SEA), Diego Luna (RSL), Milan Iloski (PHI), Mikael Uhre (PHI), Petar Musa (DAL), Josef MartÃnez (SJ)
