Eduardo Sosa (right) shields the ball away from Kelantan midfielder Habib Haroon. - Photo by IFC Corp Mighty Tigers .
PETALING JAYA: Eduardo Sosa has quickly emerged as Immigration’s midfield maestro, proving to be the kind of playmaker any Super League side would dream of having.
For a newly promoted team, a period of adjustment was always expected.
However, the 29-year-old Venezuelan has adapted seamlessly, becoming a key figure for the Alor Setar-based club in their debut Super League campaign.
Naturally, Sosa was pleased to get it right in his first season in Asia.
“The adaptation has been incredible, and I hope to continue like this, or even better,” said Sosa, who had scored six goals in 12 league appearances.
Sosa was on the scoresheet as Immigration secured their fourth league win with a convincing 3-0 victory over Kelantan at the Batu Kawan Stadium in Penang on Saturday.
Colombian striker Wilmar Jordan opened the scoring in the 31st minute before Sosa doubled the lead in the 70th.
Kelantan defender M. Rakesh then added to the visitors’ woes with an own goal three minutes later.
The win keeps Immigration eighth in the standings with 15 points from 14 matches, just two points adrift of sixth-placed Negri Sembilan and seventh-placed Brunei.
Despite standing at just 1.7m, Sosa has earned widespread praise for his vision, incisive passing and relentless work rate, particularly his willingness to press aggressively when the team are without the ball.
“For now, I’ll keep working, improving and contributing to wins. I like the league and wouldn’t have any problem continuing here.
Having made his professional debut at just 16 with Venezuelan club Zamora, Sosa’s experience across top-tier leagues in the United States, Venezuela and Colombia has clearly aided his smooth transition to Malaysian football.
Sosa, who previously featured for Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew as well as Colombian top-flight clubs Millonarios and Deportes Tolima, hopes his success can pave the way for more Venezuelan and South American players to feature in the Malaysian League.
“I hope my showing here will help open doors for more players from my country and South America to play in Malaysia.”
His attention now turns to the Malaysia Cup, with Immigration set to face Negri in the last 16 first-leg clash at the Batu Kawan Stadium on Jan 17.
“We know the quality of the team we’re facing, but we’ll give everything to try to advance to the next round,” said Sosa.
