This FIFA international window saw many Leeds United supporters having to rub their eyes when they saw defender Junior Firpo playing as a No. 9 for the Dominican Republic national team.
The DR played in their Concacaf Nations League match against Bermuda at the ABFA Technical Center in Antigua and Barbuda on Matchday 1. Nonetheless, Firpo playing as a striker was short-lived with the Dominican side playing with 10 men most of the contest after a red card.
Moreover, Firpo and his teammates secured an impressive 3-2 come-from-behind win, trailing 2-1 at one point in the contest. Still, the talking point of this contest was seeing the 28-year-old in a very different position than what many are used to seeing at Leeds.
Could Junior Firpo play as a No. 9?
Firpo playing as a striker or an attacking player didn’t surprise the BBC’s Jonny Buchan, who stated that the defender has the traits many would attribute to an offensive player.
“I’ve seen his attacking prowess,” Buchan said on the latest episode of the “Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet” podcast. “He went on that spate of assists last season. We know that, in some ways, he’s more suited to be up that end of the field [in the attack].”
While Firpo didn’t get an opportunity to show off any striker skills in that match, he did vent his frustration with Concacaf. The Leeds ace slammed the federation for the time that the game was played.
“If @Concacaf truly wants to improve Caribbean football, they shouldn’t allow these kinds of things to happen,” Firpo wrote on X. “Playing at these hours and in these temperatures is unhealthy, we can’t overlook things like this.”
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if, at one point, manager Daniel Farke decides to experiment with his starting 11 and even make an in-game adjustment that sees Firpo as a No. 9.
It’s unlikely considering the strikers on Leeds squad, but with injuries and scheduling, that possibility can never be ruled out. Still, it’s a nice ace in the hole for Farke to have should he ever decide to use it.
