Bulls Abroad: Kaku wins second Paraguay cap in 1-1 draw with South Africa

New York Red Bulls playmaker Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra played the second half of Paraguay’s 1-1 draw with South Africa on November 20, winning his second cap for La Albirroja in head coach Juan Carlos Osorio’s first game in charge of the selection.

Federico Santander opened the scoring for Paraguay in the 31st minute. Percy Tau equalized for South Africa in stoppage time.

The late goal denied Osorio a debut win as Paraguay head coach. The former RBNY head coach complimented South Africa in his post-game comments, though he did note that better finishing from his side might have put the game out of the home team’s reach.

The match also featured Atlanta United’s Miguel Almiron - who started and played the full 90 minutes - and Hector “Tito” Villalba, who entered the game in the 65th minute. Almiron, Villalba and Kaku can expect to see each other again when RBNY and Atlanta United square off in the 2018 MLS Eastern Conference Final, starting on November 25.

Portland Timbers’ Cristhian Paredes - a possible MLS Cup Final opponent for whichever of Atlanta and RBNY wins the Eastern Conference Final - also played, entering the game for Paraguay as part of the same wave of second-half substitutions that featured Kaku.