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As he celebrated with his teammates and fellow countrymen, tears poured down Andy Polo’s face on Nov. 15, 2017 inside Lima’s Estadio Monumental.
Peru had beaten New Zealand 2-0 in a game the 23-year-old Portland Timbers midfielder started in. This was the final hurdle. Peru ended a 36-year drought and qualified for the World Cup.
The last CONMEBOL team to qualify, Peru’s journey to the World Cup was not an easy one. It included a trip to an intercontinental playoff and Peru had to win those games without its top goal-scorer, Paolo Guerrero, who was suspended for testing positive for cocaine. FIFA has now lifted that ban, but Peru was drawn into a tough group with France and Denmark.
Despite all the ups and downs, Peru is back in the World Cup.
And Polo is there with his country, and has been aboard the Peruvian ride the whole way.
The 5-foot-8 attacker has had an undefined role with his national team, but helped his country reach the biggest stage, appearing in nine World Cup qualifying matches. The last time Peru was in the World Cup was 12 years before Polo was born. Now, he’s one of 19 Major League Soccer players that will represent their countries at the games. He’s one of two MLS players with Peru, along with Orlando City SC’s Yoshimar Yotún.
Many aren’t picking Peru to make a whole lot of noise in the tournament, but Polo’s club coach, Giovanni Savarese, likes the Peruvians’ chances to at least get into the Round of 16.
“I don’t know if this will be a surprise, but I think (Peru) will definitely qualify from the group. That’s my belief,” the Timbers coach told Pro Soccer USA. “It’s a very tough group, but I do believe they will go through that to the first round.”
Polo has only been with Savarese for a few months. The winger came to Portland earlier this year on a year-long loan from Morelia, a Liga-MX side. The Timbers used targeted allocation money to get him, adding to an explosive attack that already featured Fanendo Adi, Sebastian Blanco and Diego Valeri.
He’s played in seven games with Portland, but hasn’t scored yet nor tallied an assist. Tell that to Savarese, and he’ll argue that Polo brings a lot more to the club than what just shows up on the stat sheet.
And perhaps Savarese is right, considering Portland has a 5-2 record when Polo is on the pitch.
“He’s had a mixed role in defense and offense, and I think it’s a matter of time where he’s going to find the net,” Savarese said. “He’s someone who is balanced, someone that does good things with the ball, but also when we have to defend, he tactically knows where to be to be able to help out. He does a lot on the field.”
Peru’s coaches and fans may make the same argument about Polo’s performance with the national team. During their successful qualifying run, he was on the pitch often, making four starts and subbing on in five other games.
And while he hasn’t notched a recent golazo or highlight to send Soccer Twitter into a frenzy, Polo has displayed a knack for scoring. In his younger days, starring for Peru’s U-15, U-17 and U-20 teams, he scored five times over 12 matches. With the country’s senior team, he scored once in a 2016 friendly against El Salvador at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
Over his career, Polo has also shown the ability to be versatile, seeing minutes at several different attacking positions. Peru often uses him how Portland does — as a left midfielder or winger — but his experience at playing different position makes him an asset to Peruvian coaches. He can come off the bench and plug in almost anywhere up top.
When the opportunity to acquire Polo on loan came to the Timbers, his versatility, knowledge of the game and ability to play both offensive and defensive football at a high level made him an attractive prospect to Savarese. The Timbers initially tried to buy Polo outright, but opted for a season-long loan with an option to purchase.
“We thought that he would be a player that would fit right in with his qualities. He’s a tactically smart player, technically sound and has good mobility,” Savarese said. “We felt he would be a very good addition for our team. And then we found about more information about his personality and persona, and we were very happy with everything that we heard.
“He’s a very good person. He is someone that, for our locker room, is a bit quiet, but he’s a clever kid.”
Peru will face Denmark on Saturday, France next week and then Australia the week after. The table is a tough one, but a win and a draw could be enough to escape it and get into the Round of 16. The furthest the Peruvians have ever been in the World Cup is a quarterfinals appearance in 1970.
Could they get back there? Perhaps.
Polo’s role with the team seems a bit unclear. He could start, or he could come off the bench as a late substitute. But however far Peru goes and whatever part Polo plays in it, he’ll be along for the ride, ready to provide a punch whenever his team needs one.
“This is a very talented Peruvian team, so I think it’s not easy to be able to find minutes. It’s a lot of competition,” Savarese said. “But I think the coaching staff thinks (Polo) is an important player. We’ll see how many minutes he’s able to get, but I’m sure whatever he brings to the team is going to be positive and help Peru in this World Cup.”