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The 2021 season has begun for Minnesota United, albeit not in the most successful of ways. But that is not the case for all of the players under MNUFC contracts as two of them, Noah Billingsley and Thomás Chacón, are out on loan with Phoenix Rising and Liverpool Fútbol Club respectively. So this is a new weekly piece to see how those players and their respective clubs did this past week.
Noah Billingsley:
Billingsley is on loan with the USL Championship side Phoenix Rising, this comes after having spent 2020 with fellow USLC side Las Vegas Lights. While the official season for Rising will begin this Friday night against San Diego Loyal they did host two friendly matches last Saturday in Arizona.
The first of the two friendlies saw Phoenix Rising lose by a score of 4-0 to New Mexico United at the new Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex. New Mexico would score in the 7th (Swartz), 62nd, 78th (Brown), and 84th (Brown) minutes of that match. Billingsley would not play in the first match.
“We’re still not sharp,” said head coach Rick Schantz following the first match.
However while Noah Billingsley did not play in that one he did play the full period in the second one against USL League One side FC Tucson. Phoenix would break open scoring in the 43rd minute (Adekoya) and again in the 50th minute (Adekoya). Tucson’s only goal came from Gio Calixtro in the 70th minute.
“The first half was fantastic,” said head coach Rick Schantz. “The effort, the passion, the commitment was great. We were much more dangerous [than the earlier match]. We just need to be sharper. It’s coming.”
Thomás Chacón:
Chacón was loaned out to Uruguayan side Liverpool Fútbol Club on April 5th for the entire 2021 season. Currently Liverpool and the rest of the Liga Profesional de Primera División is in preseason mode getting ready for a May kickoff date.
However Liverpool did play Central Español Fútbol Club in a friendly on April 17th. Liverpool defeated Central 5-2 and Thomás Chacón scored a goal for his new side during the match. Since that match it does not appear that the club has played another friendly.