Rooney’s top scorer, 94% playing time and « dad » of the team: Benteke has fun in MLS
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Out of sight, out of the hearts of Belgians. But still so close to the goal. To disentangle himself from his difficulties in the Premier League, Christian Benteke distanced himself from European football ten months ago by joining the United States. And he can now rejoice in this decision which allows him to flourish.
After a few adaptation matches at the end of last season, the Belgian got off to a strong start in 2023: three goals in the first five games. Then four more in recent weeks to reach 150 in career, establishing himself as the best director of DC United and one of the most effective in the American championship. With the passage a superb bicycle against Charlotte, elected most beautiful goal of the month of April.
”He has been huge for us at the start of the season, rejoiced his teammate Russell Canouse on MLSsoccer. He is a leader on and off the pitch, someone we rely on a lot in our team. We rely on him to score goals, but to do a lot of other things in the game, whether it’s keeping the ball or defending. He was a huge piece of the puzzle.”
MLS: Christian Benteke is the 9th highest salary in the championship
Always as good in the air, Big Ben alone reflects the commitment: his 291 duels (68% of aerial duels) place him at the top of Major League Soccer in the ranking of this statistic. All while keeping pace physically with 94% playing time and only one game missed (out of 16) for an ankle injury.
With his experience in the Premier League and the Belgian national team, the 32-year-old striker (second oldest in the team) also brings his wisdom to the whole dressing room. Especially with younger people. “To create a bond, he plays ping-pong with themexplained Russell Canouse. He’s a positive figure in the dressing room, it’s great to see. Sometimes I sit and watch him and think he’s really brought a positive culture to the team. He’s the kind of guy you need at the club. »
And the results of the team coached by Wayne Rooney followed. Last (15th) in the Eastern Conference last season with barely 27 points, the Washington franchise currently occupies eighth place with 20 points, while there are still more than half of the games to be played.
If his assist (from the head) last night against CF Montreal by Hernan Losada did not allow him to take more than one point (2-2), Christian Benteke still scored points. In the eyes of MLS and in the eyes of the public who can now vote for the All-Star team that will face Arsenal on July 19. He is one of the favourites.
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