When FC Dallas takes the pitch at Providence Park on Wednesday night, it’ll feel a little bit like home for Maxi Urruti.
The striker, who spent the better part of the last three seasons with the Timbers, will be making his first trip back to the place he called home in his new colors.
“Truth is, you always have some feelings for the places you've played before,” Urruti said through a translator Monday. “I’m thankful to the fans that supported me and that were always very friendly to me. What I lived over there was very ,very nice. I was lucky to live through that, and have those experiences.”
In 65 appearances with Portland, the Argentine started 28 games, scoring 15 goals and accumulating 92 shots. In six games in his new role as the go-to ‘Number 9’ in Dallas, he’s well on his way to setting season marks in every category - already with three goals and 19 shots in six appearances. And once the opening whistle blows, it’ll be all business for FCD’s leading scorer as his new club looks for three points in a difficult road match.
“It'll be nice to see them all again, but my head is concentrated on the match - I’m not going there on vacation or anything like that,” he said. “Now I'm wearing FC Dallas' shirt. I'm going to try my best out there to get the 3 points with the team.”
“It always brings some emotions playing against a team that you have been at,” head coach Oscar Pareja said. “Knowing Maxi, he takes every game the same and I don’t think there’s any difference between that one or the next one or the past one. His approach is always good.”
