Konrad de la Fuente earns rave reviews from French press
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jul 28, 2021
Little by little, fans are starting to return in France.
Ligue 2 started last weekend; Ligue 1 doesn't start until Aug. 6.
One of the most popular teams in France is Marseille, which drew 7,500 fans for Wednesday's friendly against St. Etienne in Gueugnon.
Fifth in Ligue 1 in 2020-21, Marseille has been one of the most aggressive teams in a depressed transfer market with a host of new recruits:
Brazilian midfielder Gerson from Flamengo;
American winger Konrad de la Fuente from Barcelona;
Turkish winger Cengiz Under on loan from Roma;
Brazilian defender Luan Peres from Santos;
French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi on loan from Arsenal;
French defender William Saliba on loan from Arsenal;
Spanish goalkeeper Pau Lopez on loan from Roma.
The OM newcomers have been praised for their preseason work, mostly notably Konrad, who was the player of the match in the 2-1 win over St. Etienne with the opening goal in the second minute.
L'Equipe compared the 20-year-old American to French international Kingsley Coman for his dribbling moves and ability to take on defenders, but it also praised him for his work to combine with other OM attackers.
You’ve probably already seen this highlight, but it is worth seeing again.
Konrad making an impression at Marseille.
— OneGoal (@OneGoalUS) July 29, 2021
The only other American in Ligue 1 is Tim Weah, who plays for Lille. It's been a rather quite preseason for Les Dogues, now coached by Jocelyn Gourvennec following Christophe Galtier's departure for Nice. Lille is scheduled to travel to Tel Aviv this weekend for the Trophée des Champions -- the French super cup -- against Paris St. Germain.
Nicholas Gioacchini, who is with the USA at the Gold Cup, plays for Ligue 2 Caen.
Konrad de la Fuente (Marseille)
Preseason
July 4. Martigues (3-0)
July 11. Sete (2-1) sub-30 minutes
July 15. Servette (3-1) sub-30 minutes, 2 assists
July 21. at Braga (1-1) sub-25 minutes
July 25. at Benfica (1-1) sub-22 minutes
July 28. St. Etienne (2-1) 78 minutes, 1 goal
July 31. Villarreal
Ligue 1
Aug. 8. at Montpellier
Aug. 14-15. Bordeaux
Aug. 21-22. at Nice
Aug. 21-22. St. Etienne
Tim Weah (Lille)
Preseason
July 9. at Beveren (2-0) 45 minutes
July 14. Gent (0-1) sub-45 minutes
July 17. at Courtrai (1-1) sub-26 minutes
July 22. Benfica (0-1) sub-28 minutes
July 25. Porto (0-2) sub-45 minutes
Trophée des Champions
Aug. 1. Paris SG (in Tel Aviv, Israel)
Ligue 1
Aug. 8. at Metz
Aug. 14-15. Nice
Aug. 21-22. at St. Etienne
Aug. 21-22
