Nashville will have an exciting new attacker next time they play a match. Uruguyan winger Rodrigo Piñeiro has been their highest-profile acquisition so far this offseason, and the 21-year-old is ready to hit the ground running.
““I was anxiously awaiting preseason. I’m very happy and right now I just need to train hard to be ready for the regular season,” he said in a video provided by Nashville SC.
General manager Mike Jacobs has made no secret of his desire to stock Nashville’s wings with vertical threats. While David Accam didn’t pan out in Nashville, there are high hopes around his replacement.
“I would describe myself as a fast player, who likes to have the ball, play 1v1, get the ball into the box, face the opponent, and help in the marking,” says Piñeiro. “I’m a player who likes to work hard for the team and as I said, I’m fast and I really like having control of the ball.”
With Major League Soccer establishing itself as a pipeline for South and Central American talent to hone their craft before moving to Europe, the move made sense for Piñeiro.
“I chose it because it’s a very competitive league that’s growing a lot,” he stated. “I believe it’s going to be a great step for me if I get to have minutes on the field and play, and be able to get a cap with the National Team. As I just mentioned, it’s a very competitive league that raises great players.”
Quality of living has been a major attraction for South American players moving to MLS. Piñeiro is no different.
“Well, in my country you don’t have as much luxury as you do here, but I really like the city, how peaceful it is, and all the attractions that can be visited,” he admitted. “Coming from Uruguay, I want to get to know the city and everything it offers. I like Nashville and the city. I felt very welcomed.”
With the MLS regular season fast approaching, Piñeiro got his first impressions of his new team on the field yesterday.
“We have a beautiful group,” he said. “You can tell they are great teammates, humble and hard-working. When it comes to the game itself, we are going to be getting to know each other, but I think we will get along well.”
Twitter