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The American title delighted soccer player Pedro Santos.
The conquest of the North American Football League (MLS) by the Columbus Crew encouraged the closure of Pedro Santos, absent from the final on Saturday due to a positive test for the new coronavirus.
“Faced with the difficult times we went through, I did everything possible throughout the year to protect myself and be available. Testing positive in the most important week of my career was a great disappointment, but the most important thing is already done. The team was fantastic, mine The teammates played very well and we all won together ”, said the forward to Lusa.
The Columbus Crew dethroned the Seattle Sounders (3-0), who were looking for the “second title”, with two goals from Argentine Lucas Zelarayán and another from Haitian Derrick Etienne, repeating the 2008 title, five years after the final lost to Portland Timbers. .
“It was frustrating to be out and celebrate from a distance. I wanted to be on the field helping the team, but there was nothing I could do and I just had to wait for my teammates to do their work. I was very nervous and anxious, but everything went well.” . I reached a goal that I was looking for for some years and I am very happy, “he praised.
Pedro Santos, 32, entered the confinement on December 7, just received the test with a positive result for the new coronavirus, carried out the previous day, after the victory over the New England Revolution (1-0), in the final of “play-off” of the western conference.
“I had some symptoms, but nothing very serious. The cough attacked me a little more the first days and I also lost my taste, but now I am better and recovering. I think I will be completely free of covid-19 in the next few days,” he said. extreme native of Lisbon, satisfied to have avoided domestic contagion with his wife and son.
Midfielder Darlington Nagbe, another regular starter, also missed the decisive MLS game as he caught it, without pinching the performance of the Columbus Crew, who even reached the play-off as third in the West, with 41 points, six from Philadelphia Union. .
“It’s a title that suits us well. We were the best team during the season and the opposing coaches said that we played football very well. At the beginning of the season, we set ourselves the goal of finishing in the top four of the regular season to play at home every day. ” Play-off matches. That was the main factor for us to win ”, he analyzed.
In addition to the four home wins against New York Red Bulls (3-2), Nashville (2-0 after overtime), New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders, the “aurinegros” highlighted a “very strong mentality and a very balanced team in all respects “.
“We showed a spirit of sacrifice by defending everyone very well and together. In attack we created opportunities in fast transitions or in possession of the ball and we had goals with more than 16 passes, for example. We were aiming for the title and we were always going in the right direction. so we can achieve things, “said Pedro Santos.
The games at the Mapfre Stadium, in Columbus, received a maximum capacity of 1,500 spectators, in the heat of the fight against the covid-19 pandemic, which is breaking records for deaths (297,843) and cases of contagion (more than 16 million) in the United States .
“At the beginning of recovery [8 de julho] there were no fans, but the situation was calmer and they returned. In the final part, the stadiums closed again due to the increase in cases, but in the final we managed to have some spectators. Having followers always helps. They were important in the moments of tightening of the team and they knew how to celebrate ”, he stressed.
In the fourth season played by the Ohio State club, one of the founders of MLS in 1996, Pedro Santos was the second most influential player for the Columbus Crew during the year, with eight goals and seven assists in 26 games, behind the scorer Gyasi. Zardes. .
“Last season I scored more goals [11], but I do not doubt that this was my best moment on a personal and collective level, even for all the conditions we had. Putting it all together is fantastic and I hope to do the same or better next year, “said the former Sporting de Braga, Rio Ave, Vitória de Setúbal, Leixões and Casa Pia player.
The first Portuguese to win MLS convinced the Columbus Crew leaders to add one more year to the contract, until December 2021, with the goal of “more history” in the next CONCACAF Champions League, won by clubs in Mexico. since 2006.
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