Scoring a great goal requires ambition, confidence, skill and fortune, according to MLS players. Then euphoria takes care of the celebration.
ôHave you seen It?ö
ôSeen what?ö
ôThe Goal.ö
ôWhat goal?ö
ôThe Goal. You have to see It.ö
This conversation repeats itself among soccer fans whenever a great goal is scored. The goal is so enthralling, so magical that it captivates everyone. We all scramble to get our hands on a videotape of it so we can watch it again and again. Those who have seen it feel privileged and will insist that others see it, since describing it wonÆt do it proper justice.
As the level of play has risen in MLS, so has the frequency of ômust-seeö goals. The line which separates ôgreatö goals from the rest may be arbitrary, but strictly in terms of aesthetics, the number of high-quality goals undoubtedly has increased.
Just when it seemed Marcelo BalboaÆs bicycle-kick of a 30-yard cross in 2000 would never be rivaled, Clint Mathis leaves three defenders wondering what happened on a 60-yard dribble run early this season.
ôNow that all the goalkeepers have gotten better, it takes a very good shot to score and there arenÆt some of the easier goals that there were in the first few years,ö says Balboa, who hasnÆt replicated his bicycle, but tallied a beauty off two backheels by his Rapids teammates. ôThe quality of soccer is better, so there are better goals. … Either IÆm out of position all the time, which puts me in position to score nice goals, or IÆve been lucky.ö
Immediately after the game in which he scored that memorable goal, Mathis modestly noted that, ôa goalÆs a goal. They donÆt give you points on how pretty they are.ö
Yet since then, when heÆs seen it on videotape, the play somewhat surprises him.
ôJust to be able to go that far on a full sprint,ö Mathis says. ôI donÆt know what made me think to do that. If IÆd actually realized where I was, it never would have happened. … From our perspective, all goals do count the same ù one point, but from an entertainment standpoint, you have to have goals that make peopleÆs jaw drop. ThatÆs why fans come out to see us play ù to see us do something that they canÆt do in their backyard.ö
Mathis thinks that most great goals come from instinct, not premeditation. Others, like New EnglandÆs Cate, believe that some goals are impressive because they are calculated. Free kicks like his long bender against Dallas July 4 fit that description.
ôIt was the first pretty goal I scored since coming here, so it was special, kind of giving homage to the league,ö Cate says. ôA great goal takes a lot of skill, determination and also the creativity to figure out how to make it happen. It is difficult to know what you want to do before and be creative enough to make it come true.ö
The individual effort wows us with the drib-blerÆs audacity, balance and deception. The long-range blast in the run of play astounds us with its sheer power. The intricate passing play reveals a level of collective understanding that amazes us. Sometimes the finish sets a goal apart, in the case of a diving header or flying volley. Free kicks seem to defy physics with their swerving flight paths.
Miami coach Ray Hudson has seen his team score a handful of goals this season off extended possessions.
ôCombination play and one-touch passes leading up to a goal is the essence of the game,ö Hudson says. ôIf Jimmy [Rooney] had taken an extra touch, it all falls down. If [Ian] Bishop had gone a different way, it doesnÆt materialize. ItÆs all of those cards leaning against each other delicately that build a beautiful picture, but you take one piece away and it falls apart. I still believe that is the hallmark of a great goal.ö
Perhaps the surest trait of a great goal is that it makes us gush in grandiloquent terms like Ray Hudson.
by Soccer America associate editor Will Kuhns