Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama was left as a spectator on the sidelines as his side FC Montreal, succumbed to a 4-1 defeat against FC Cincinnati in an MLS clash on Saturday night
Wanyama, who has featured in 12 league games this season, remained on the bench for the entire match despite anticipation that he might play following the recent exit of midfielder Mathieu Choinière to Switzerland.
Choinière had been a mainstay in the Montreal midfield, earning the trust of both former coach Hernán Losada and current manager Laurent Courtois. His consistent performances had limited Wanyama to sporadic appearances, mostly as a substitute since the latter part of last season. With Choinière’s departure, there had been hope that the Kenyan midfielder would get more opportunities to play regularly.
In the match, Cincinnati’s Kevin Kelsy opened the scoring in the 35th minute, netting his sixth goal of the season. The visitors doubled their lead in the 53rd minute when Luca Orellano converted a free kick from 24 yards out. Orellano was on target again later, completing his brace with a spectacular strike from within Cincinnati’s half, marking his sixth and seventh goals of the campaign.
Substitute Sergio Santos added Cincinnati’s fourth goal in the 71st minute, effectively sealing the win before Montreal managed a consolation goal in the 81st minute.
Meanwhile, in Scotland, Jonah Ayunga made a late appearance for St Mirren in their 2-2 draw against Dundee in a Scottish Premiership match on Saturday.
Ayunga, who has tallied eight appearances and two assists for the season, came off the bench but didn’t have enough time to make a significant impact on the game. The Kenyan international, who has been called up to the Harambee Stars squad for their upcoming fixtures against Zimbabwe and Namibia, will be eager to prove his worth and contribute to Kenya’s success.
Dundee, playing without Luke McCowan after his deadline-day transfer to Celtic, looked lively throughout the match but struggled defensively, especially during a frenetic first half.
St Mirren’s Toyosi Olusanya capitalized on a defensive lapse by Antonio Portales to slot home from a tight angle, giving the visitors the lead. However, a similar error at the other end allowed Curtis Main to equalize for Dundee with a deft lob over the goalkeeper.
The excitement continued as Mikael Mandron restored St Mirren’s advantage with a brilliant strike, but Dundee responded once more with Lyall Cameron setting up Ziyad Larkeche for a well-taken equalizer.
The draw could have turned into a victory for Dundee, but St Mirren’s goalkeeper, Ellery Balcombe, produced a crucial point-blank save to deny Simon Murray in the dying moments of the game.
