Dylan Borrero Makes Impact After Transcontinental Journey

"I think he was all the way across the world so it was like 12 time zones different so I can’t imagine how difficult that must be.”

Photo By ©J. Alexander Dolan

After spending his international duty in Asia, it seemed like Dylan Borrero was a candidate for rest against NYCFC but instead he was one of the more impactful players on the pitch.

Colombia played matches against South Korea and Japan with Borrer playing a measly two minutes for his nation. His journey back to New England was a lot longer.

But Borrero came onto the pitch to begin the second half and immediately made an impact with his speed and skill. In the 61st minute, he even sent a ball into the box that ended up in the back of the net due to an own goal.

While the goal was disallowed, his pleasant performance wasn’t invalidated. Borrero ended his evening with 23 touches, five passes into the final third, and a chance created. Beyond his skill on the ball, Borrero had some impressive passes including one that sprung Gustavo Bou on goal.

Center back Dave Romney said that Borrero’s impact was huge and commended the winger for how well he played after his journey from Asia.

“Yeah, it’s huge,” Romney said. “I mean he’s [Borrero] extremely talented, he came on and made a difference right away with that goal that got taken back and it’s always something nice to bring someone on with that much talent off the bench. And it’s just trying to get his fitness back. I mean, he has his fitness but just kind of getting back in this time zone. I think he was all the way across the world so it was like 12 time zones different so I can’t imagine how difficult that must be.”

Christian Makoun was also impressed by Borrero’s effort in the 1-1 draw.

“Yeah, I’m happy for him. It’s tough to play in a game like this in this situation. I thought Dylan did his job tonight. But we didn’t get the result we wanted and that means we have to continue working hard.”

Makoun was also on international duty for Venezuela recently. While he didn’t make an appearance in “La Vinotinto’s” two friendlies, he did have to travel from Saudi Arabia.

While failing to get any playing time, Makoun was happy to represent his country.

“I’m happy to be selected [to the Venezuela Men’s National Team.] I think that’s important for any player to represent his country,” the midfielder said. “It was a long trip for me. I flew 14 hours and then I had an eight-hour time difference. But it’s part of doing what one has to do to help the team.”

Makoun got his first start of the 2023 MLS season against NYCFC and the 23-year-old played 86 minutes and tallied 43 touches and completed 96 percent of his passes.

Both players should be proud of their effort after such a long journey back to the club with only a short time to recover.

While New England didn’t get the win, Borrero showed why he is one of the top young players in MLS. Even after a journey across the globe, he was able to make an impact.