Algerian international nets first MLS goal
Eight games into the new season, the Impact’s Designated Player, Saphir Taïder, has checked off a lot of boxes. He earned his first assist early, in the second game of the season against Columbus. He’s been served a red card for an unlucky foul in the game against New England. Saturday, against Atlanta, in one of the more imposing stadiums in MLS, he scored his first goal.
Similar to the goal he scored in preseason, Taïder sprinted into the box and dove to get his head on an inch-perfect cross from Chris Duvall from the right flank, beating Guzan easily due to the sheer power behind the header.
“I enjoy running into the box whenever the opportunity presents itself,” said Taïder. “It’s a good way to surprise defenders, by coming in from a little further. You have to anticipate the action to be one step ahead, whether the ball comes or not. This time it came. It’s something we work on at practice as well, to give our offense a little extra power.”
As we’ve seen in the past, players coming into MLS from other leagues around the world usually tend to go through a certain period of adaptation. Taïder played in Serie A for most of his career until his move to the Bleu-blanc-noir in the offseason, but his style of play quickly adapted to the game on this side of the pond.
“I haven’t done the whole round just yet, but I can tell you it’s very competitive and well-structured,” added Taïder. “There are really good, young players in every team that are going to help grow the league even more. But regarding the football, the atmosphere, and the stadiums, it’s all great.”
Scoring that first goal often comes with a lot of pressure, which gets heavier the longer it takes. Such is the importance of the mental game in soccer. But for someone like Taïder, who has years of experience in the big leagues and many important defensive responsibilities, it’s not something that preoccupied him too much.
“I wasn’t thinking about the first goal,” explained Taïder. “I’ve scored goals and I’ll score again, what’s important is the result, and we failed in that aspect. Whether it’s me or someone else who scores, right now, we need points.”
