The debut of James Rodríguez with Minnesota United turned into a night to forget after the team suffered a crushing 6-0 defeat against Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer. The 34-year-old Colombian midfielder had generated significant excitement after signing a six-month contract with Minnesota in February. However, his first appearance came when the match had already been practically decided.

James entered the game in the 64th minute, replacing Argentine winger Tomás Chancalay, with Minnesota already trailing 5-0. Wearing the number 10 jersey, the Colombian tried to bring some creativity to the midfield, but the outcome was already beyond reach.

Vancouver dominated the match from the start. Sebastian Berhalter opened the scoring before Brian White, Mathias Laborda and Emmanuel Sabbi added more goals to give the visitors a commanding 4-0 lead at halftime.

The second half followed the same script. Just nine minutes after the restart, White completed his brace to make it 5-0. Shortly after James came onto the field, Senegalese forward Cheikh Sabaly sealed the emphatic victory by scoring Vancouver’s sixth goal.

Despite the heavy defeat, James showed a positive attitude after the final whistle. The Colombian was seen smiling as he shared a heartfelt embrace with German star Thomas Müller, his former teammate at Bayern Munich, where they celebrated a Champions League title together.

Following the loss, Minnesota sits near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. The team will have a chance to bounce back next week when they host the Seattle Sounders. Meanwhile, Vancouver continues its perfect start to the season. Last year’s MLS finalists have now won their first four matches and share the top spot in the Western Conference with Los Angeles FC.

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