Troy Lesesne praises former Internacional player João Peglow: ‘He'll be a great player for us’

For Internacional fans, João Peglow is a well-known name. Revealed in the youth ranks and champion of the Copinha with Colorado, the striker was one of the recent promises of the club from Rio Grande do Sul.

After things didn't work out at Inter, Peglow travelled around a few Brazilian clubs and Europe, arriving at MLS side DC United at the start of the year. The team's first impression of the Brazilian has been very positive.

In a press conference held on Thursday (27), coach Troy Lesesne spoke about how important Peglow has been for the team, especially with his ability to dribble on the pitch.

‘He's going to dribble even more (on the pitch). I like it when he's on the ball and he's going at rival players, dribbling. That's something I tried to challenge him to do more today in training. I really like it when he can take on the opposition, when he gets into the opponent's box, that's when he's really dangerous,’ said the coach.

Internacional youngster shining in MLS

João Peglow has only played three games for DC United so far, adding one assist on his debut in a 2-1 win against SKC, with the Brazilian being voted ‘best of the match’.

‘We saw one of his best moves against SKC, which resulted in the penalty for us and then he provided the assist for Kijima to turn the game around. But even apart from those two moments, he had a tremendous influence on the game. I think we saw glimpses of that against Montreal, but not to the same degree. Against Orlando, it was a tough game for most of the squad. So if he can have even more influence during the 90 minutes, he'll be a great player for us and I'm very happy to have him in our team,’ Lesesne concluded.

DC United's next match

DC United face Columbus Crew next Saturday (29) at Audi Field in a match valid for the 6th round of MLS 2025. United will be looking to break an unenviable run of seven games without a win against their rivals.