Ramón Ábila on Minnesota United offer: ‘It enthused me’
Ramón “Wanchope” Ábila is now officially a member of Minnesota United, the former Boca Juniors striker now looking to make a splash in MLS.
Ábila joined Minnesota United on loan this week, giving the club an option up top that should help the ambitious side get some much-needed punch in front of goal. When fit, Ábila has the potential to be a tremendous talisman for a side that showed some promise a year.
The newest Minnesota United signing spoke with the media on Wednesday in a conference call. He declared himself fit and ready to contribute, even as he works on understanding tactics and getting his sharpness.
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He talked about his mentality at Boca Juniors, a powerhouse of South American soccer.
“It wasn’t my intention to leave Boca. Yes, I did have options, but none that I liked or that seduced me enough to leave or accept them,” Ábila told reporters in his press conference on Wednesday.
“The offer from Minnesota did interest me, it enthused me and to have a former teammate already be here to let me know how things were, that helped me come here.”
Last season across all competitions for Boca Juniors, he had 12 goals in 27 appearances.
One advantage for Ábila as far as his assimilation with his new club is the presence of Emanuel Reynoso. Signed late last season from Boca Juniors, the creative midfielder took several games to assimilate before becoming a vital cog of the squad for Minnesota United’s playoff run.
Having an influential player such as Reynoso on the squad and in the locker room is an asset for Ábila as he plays for the first time outside of South America.
“With Bebelo [Reynoso], we’ve known each other since 2018 when we first played together at Boca and we have a great relationship,” Abila said.
“We’re from the same city, born in the same city [Cordoba] and we’ve always been able to run into each other in different ways. We have a lovely friendship and when the opportunity came to come here, he got in touch with me to let me know how things were at the club and with the city, all of that. And it was a big help in motivating me to come here.
Follow Kristian Dyer of ‘MLS Multiplex‘ on Twitter @KristianRDyer