The reality of soccer, and sports in general, is that an injury for one means an opportunity for another. Such was the case Saturday when recent Ajax transfer, and American international, Sergino Dest made his debut in the starting lineup for Barcelona as veteran left back Jordi Alba recovered from a hamstring injury.
Dest found himself alongside some of the biggest names in the world on the team sheet against Getafe including Lionel Messi, Antione Griezmann and Gerard Pique. It was history for the Catalonian club, and Dest who became the first American in the club's history to play in the starting lineup for a La Liga match.
#Culers, here is YOUR starting XI for #GetafeBarça!
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 17, 2020
🦾🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/KcEE63hLOC
The 19-year-old American fullback was brought on to play for Barcelona during the summer transfer window for a whopping $25 million fee from Dutch giants Ajax. This isn't the first time Dest has seen the field for his new club, as he came on as a substitute in early October, replacing Alba for the final 15 minutes of a 1-1 draw with Sevilla.
Dest becomes the latest young American to become a part of a notable European club, which has been something of a more recent streak with this purported "golden generation" for the USMNT. Others that are part of this group include Gio Reyna of Borussia Dortmund, Weston McKennie of Juventus, Tyler Adams of RB Leipzig and, of course, Christian Pulisic of Chelsea.
