James has impacted far fewer matches for Minnesota United FC than expected this season, but his inclusion in Sunday evening's 2-2 draw with Austin FC (bringing his season minutes total from 103 to 130) proved substantial — helping create right-sided overloads that the Verde defense had difficulties dealing with.
"In the second half, it changed," Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez said. "They introduced more players, even though that they lost some instruction because, you know, James was coming to the right side with [Joaquin] Pereyra. They were overloading the side. It was difficult for us, and then we have to learn when teams overload the sides, and create numerical advantages there, how we have to try to do better.
"I think sometimes we did well and sometimes we didn't, and we have to learn from that for the next time we play," he added.
"He's a world-class player," said Mikkel Desler, on the challenge of defending James, "or at least he was. He has amazing skills, and today he showed it as well."
Even though Verde gave up two James-engineered goals at minutes 69 and 77 to turn a 1-0 lead into a 2-1 deficit – two more to add to the growing tally of goals given up from winning or drawing positions after the 68th minute to change match outcomes — they got the draw back via Christian Ramírez's equalizer, earning him accolades from his coach.
"We felt like he could help the team throughout the season, and we believe in his qualities and in how he is as a person, also as a player, and everything that he could help and contribute to this team, and I think that is doing exactly what we expected," Estévez said.
