The day of his life finally came, but for Portland Timbers midfield Andy Polo, it also went without setting foot on the field.
While Peru chased the goal they’d need to pull back Denmark’s 1-0 lead, manager Ricardo Gareca pulled three changes from his bench. Captain Paolo Guerrero, the country's all-time leading scorer, was an obvious one, coming on for Edison Flores in the 62nd minute, as was Polo’s former Monarcas Morelia teammate Raúl Ruidíaz, who replaced Jefferson Farfán at striker in the 85th. Two minutes later, when Leon’s Pedro Aquino replaced midfielder Renato Tapia, Gareca was out of moves, meaning Saturday would come and go without Polo making his World Cup debut.