Matthew Hoppe was a late attacking reinforcement for Mallorca in a losing effort, as they fell to Real Sociedad in a game which saw Jonathan Gomez promoted to first team bench.
RCD Mallorca 0 – 2 Real Sociedad
While Hoppe’s inclusion on Mallorca’s bench was par for the course, the real surprise came with the addition of American youngster Jonathan Gomez to the bench for Real Sociedad.
The 18 year-old, once-capped USMNT defender arrived in Spain in January, and has quickly claimed a starting spot for Real Sociedad’s development squad, which plays in La Liga 2.
Even though he didn’t take the field in Wednesday’s win, his inclusion with the first-team traveling squad indicates that he has already made an overwhelmingly positive impression on his new employers.
The visitors were first on the board ten minutes before the halftime break. Ageless Spanish legend David Silva burst into the Mallorca area to run onto a through-ball from Mikel Merino, and buried his left-footed shot to the lower right corner for the 1-0 advantage.
Merino then netted one of his own just past the hour mark. A 62nd-minute corner from the left was allowed to clatter around in front of Mallorca’s goal, and Merino smartly cleaned up with an opportunistic strike from the left edge of the six-yard box.
Hoppe entered the game in the 68th minute in place of midfielder Salva Sevilla, as Mallorca head coach Luis García looked for any kind of lifeline. He was fairly limited in his impact, having only seven total touches in his time on the field, and not managing any shots on the opposing goal.
In the end, the visitors had no issues to hang on for the valuable road win, solidifying their place in the hunt for Europan qualification.
Hoppe and Mallorca fall to 17th with the result, with their next outing on Sunday when they visit Celta Vigo.
Real Sociedad remain in fifth place with a Saturday visit to Real Madrid next in the schedule, however Gomez will likely see his next action with the reserve squad hosts Sporting Gijon in La Liga 2 action over the weekend.
