Riqui Puig shows 'bravery' in LA Galaxy debut
By Chris Smith
LA Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond has praised the 'bravery' of teammate Riqui Puig following his debut for the club on Friday night.
Puig was introduced in the 62nd minute of the Galaxy's 3-3 draw with the Seattle Sounders. During his 28 minutes on the field, the Spanish midfielder completed 25 of his 26 passes, created one chance, and attempted one shot.
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But Bond was most impressed with Puig's immediate willingness to get on the ball and try to dictate the tempo of the match - just as you'd expect from any midfielder who has cut their teeth at FC Barcelona.
“I think his first touch, he came from his No. 10, No. 8 position, all the way, demanded it off of me, and I gave it to him. And he played,” said Bond. “That was big bravery, really, at that point in the game to come and get the ball off of me.
“That was an example of that Barcelona, give-me-the-ball-I’ll-deal-with-it, that kind of character. He’s a top player. He’s played at the top level. We’re hoping that he can help us in a big way.”
While there were no fireworks, Puig's performance was a solid foundation to build from. The 23-year-old will surely be eyeing up his first start when the Galaxy travel to the New England Revolution next weekend.
“He’ll continue to build on that,” LA head coach Greg Vanney said. “I mean, the kid has incredible quality. It just was a game that was a little bogged down by the time he got into it, but was still able to find some good moments.”
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