Despite the disappointing loss at Leganés, there were some silver linings such as the good impression left by Nicola Sansone and Roberto Soriano, the first goal scored by the cantera striker Mario González as well as the first team debut of Juvenil A and U20 USMNT player Mukwelle Akale.

Mukwelle Akale arrived 2 years ago from his hometown club Minnesota Thunder and has never looked back. He was part of the Juvenil A squad that won back to back titles in the division.

Akale has enjoyed a rapid ascension in during this year, having made his debut with Villarreal B against Rayo Vallecano las month.

Really cool to make my preseason debut with Villarreal B and play first half against Rayo Vallecano's first team! ~YM — qTip (@mukwelle_akale) July 23, 2016

Today he made his debut for the first team, coming off the bench in 61th minute replacing Samu Castillejo.

Akale left a good impression with his explosive pace and trickery. He even enjoyed a clear scoring chance in the end.

It’s too early to tell which course will Akale’s career take, but he’ll be happy having made his B and senior debuts in the span of a month.

We hope to see him soon making his official first team debut at El Madrigal.