Analysis: Minnesota United finds a fit for key newcomers Joaquín Pereyra, Jefferson Díaz

Among Minnesota United’s arrivals from the summer transfer window, Kelvin Yeboah and his seven goals in seven games have stolen the headlines. But two more — defender Jefferson Díaz and attacking midfielder Joaquín Pereyra — have also become lineup mainstays, with both starting every game since coming to Minnesota.

With the Loons heading to Vancouver on Saturday for an important game for postseason seeding, it feels like one of the new duo is adapting quickly — and the other is still trying to find his feet.

Díaz endured a rough first game in MLS, against Seattle. He attempted an inadvisable long ball out of the defensive corner of the field into the center circle, one that led directly to a Sounders goal; he also was beaten on a set play for another Seattle score.

After seven games, though, the Colombian’s talents are beginning to show through. His passing and ball-carrying are becoming an asset. He’s proving to be a useful replacement for Kervin Arriaga in the Loons’ setup, since he has both the talent to break lines with his passing, and the speed and vision add to the attack by making overlapping runs outside the wingback on his side.

Díaz’s versatility — a quality always prized by this Loons coaching staff — is also a huge asset. The team originally planned to put him at right center back, then tried him as a pure right back in a back four. But in the past three games, he’s filled in at left center back for the struggling Miguel Tapias, even though Díaz is right-footed. Given that Minnesota has kept clean sheets in all three games, you’d have to deem the experiment a success.

“I think he might be one of those guys that is genuinely more comfortable on the left,” said manager Eric Ramsay, who name-checked assistant coach Dennis Lawrence, and England and Manchester United center back Harry Maguire, as other right-footed defenders who liked to play on the left. “I think you’ve seen with Jefferson that he we haven’t lost the offensive threat that he gave us on the right when he joins the attack on the overlap — he’s continued to do that.”

Diaz is still getting used to the physicality of MLS, especially when defending corner kicks. And — like Arriaga before him — he needs to properly calibrate his enthusiasm for playing exciting passes, given that as a center back, there are many times when the right play is the safe and boring one.

Pereyra, meanwhile, has brought fewer flashy moments to the table. In five games, he has one assist, and has occasionally struggled to find his way into games offensively, and to find a way to be a difference-maker even if the ball isn’t coming his way.

Wednesday at Real Salt Lake, Pereyra was removed at halftime, though Ramsay insisted it was for reasons other than his performance.

“I sat down with him today prior to the game and gave him a real pat on the back about how he defended against Colorado, and some of the big steps forward that he has taken,” said Ramsay, after the game. “He is getting used to doing something very different here, [compared] to his previous club. He wasn’t taken off at halftime today for performance; it was solely because I wanted to get a second forward on the pitch, [and] I wanted to change our shape.”

According to Ramsay, Pereyra defended in a man-to-man system at Atlético Tucumán, his previous club, and also had an enormous amount of liberty to freelance offensively. With Minnesota, he’s got to fit into a more-straitlaced system — especially defensively, where the Loons focus a lot of energy on proper rotations to close off the midfield.

“He’s shown some really big steps in his understanding and execution of some of that stuff,” said Ramsay — who also noted that he wants Pereyra to bring a bit of his freelance ability to the Loons, as well. “We want to make sure that he adapts to us, but we also adapt to him.”

Since MLS resumed its regular season following the Leagues Cup, Minnesota is tied for the fifth-best record in MLS, and has almost the best underlying numbers in the league. Pereyra and Díaz are helping with that — and need to continue to quickly improve, to help keep the Loons dangerous come playoff time.