TUCSON, Ariz. — Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra finally made his debut for the Red Bulls Saturday night in their 2-1 preseason loss to Phoenix Rising.

Kaku, who played the opening 57 minutes as a traditional No. 10, said he felt comfortable with New York at the Mobile Mini Sun Cup finale for the club.

“To be honest, I felt really well, very comfortable with the guys and we had very good game overall,” Gamarra said.

How comfortable? The Argentine midfielder felt he was on the same page as his teammates, who were essentially the Red Bulls II team that will compete in the United Soccer League.

“How the guys play in the final third and we all have the same ideas so that’s very good,” Gamarra said. “With this match, I am feeling a lot better and I hope to be in the best shape for next match.”

Asked if he thought his first game would come against a player with the stature of former Ivory Coast international standout Didier Drogba, Kaku replied, “No, I was not expecting my debut match to be against Phoenix and I saw Drogba in the stadium prior to the match. I am very happy because I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, and it’s a dream come true to play against [Drogba and his team].”

The Red Bulls will welcome Olimpia to Red Bull Arena for the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 series Thursday night.

“I am hoping that I am in the coach’s plans for the next match and be able to make my debut at Red Bull Arena,” Gamarra said.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.