Major League Soccer kicked off its second round on Saturday and after Wilfried Zaha took the spotlight in the opening match of the round on a sparkling MLS debut, the evening matches provided another magical moment.
20-year-old Ghanaian attacker Mohammed Sofo made his first start for New York Red Bulls and scored the first goal in a 2-0 victory over Nashville SC. Joining Cameroonian forward Eric Choupo-Moting in the eleven, Sofo reacted quickly to finish from close range in the 7th minute after Choupo-Moting's initial effort was spilled into the path of Sofo.
Sofo joined the reserve team of New York Red Bulls (New York Red Bulls 2) from Guidars FC and the associated JMG Academy in Mali organized by well known youth development expert Jean-Marc Guillou. The young forward, only making his second appearance for the senior team on Saturday, scored 8 goals in 30 appearances for Red Bulls 2 before making his debut during the 2024 season.
Another Accra native made a crucial contribution later on Saturday evening. Minnesota United striker Kelvin Yeboah made a good run to tap in the only goal in a 1-0 victory for the hosts over CF Montréal.
The 24-year-old nephew of Black Stars legend Tony Yeboah turned down a Ghana national team call to represent the Italy under-21 national team in 2021 but is still eligible to paly for Ghana. Yeboah has been sensational for Minnesota since joining midway through the 2024 season, accumulating 10 goals in 14 appearances and winning praise for his skilled and direct style of play.
Canadian-born attacking right back Mohammed Farsi went from playing in the obscurity of Canadian semi-professional football in 2019 to making his debut for the Algeria national team in September. The 25-year-old continues to display excellent form with top Eastern Conference club Columbus Crew and contributed an assist on the only goal of the match in a 1-0 victory for Columbus at New England Revolution.
Farsi, who could not even get a match during a season spent at Algeria Ligue 1 side AS Aïn M'lila earlier in his career, is in the form of his life with the Crew after reviving his professional career with Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC. He provided 4 goals and 6 assists in 29 matches last season and is a valuable asset on the right flank for the Crew.
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