ATLANTA - Cam Lindley walked off the pitch soaking wet and with a beaming smile.
He had just played a full 90 minutes in the pouring rain against Mexican side Tigres UANL U-20 in the 2018 MLS Homegrown Game.
“The lungs are still there so it was good,” Lindley said to a crowd of reporters. “It was good to get a run out, played with a great group of guys.”
Lindley was one of just two Homegrowns to play the full match. He started out in an attacking role before dropping back into his more comfortable spot in the defensive midfield. The rookie out of North Carolina displayed the talent and potential that earned him three starts in City’s first three games this year.
“Second half I thought I was better,” he said. “It’s easy when you play with such good players. Makes my job so easy. Just get the ball to them and let them do their thing.”
The MLS Homegrowns opened the scoring on an opportunistic finish by Liam Fraser (Toronto) at the stroke of halftime. The Homegrowns looked to have made it 2-0 following a wonderful display of skill by Jesus Ferreira (Dallas) but Video Review disallowed the goal and awarded Tigres an indirect free kick just inside the Homegrown penalty area, which was converted for the equalizer.
The match finished 1-1. Afterwards, Lindley chatted with his family before taking a photo.
Lindley’s 90 minutes were just one highlight of his time in Atlanta during the MLS All-Star festivities. Lindley and Yoshimar Yotún, who was named to the team by All-Star head coach Gerardo Martino, have both spoken to how much fun they’re having meeting the rest of the league’s current and future stars.
“It’s so cool to follow Yoshi around because Yoshi’s a great person for me to look up to,” Lindley said. “It’s awesome to see him and take in everything, for sure.”
The fun didn’t stop with yesterday’s Homegrown game, though. Later today, Lindley will take over the MLS Snapchat at the All-Star Game. MLS takes on Italian powerhouse Juventus at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
