Alejandro Pozuelo is already a must-see MLS player

There was nothing to suggest that Alejandro Pozuelo’s MLS debut last Friday would be must-watch television. He is a talented attacker who had played well in Belgium, but there are only a few players in the world who demand that type of attention. Players like Wayne Rooney, for example, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Coincidentally, this past weekend was also the first year anniversary of Ibrahimovic’s MLS debut. Unlike Pozuelo, cameras were watching Ibrahimovic’s every move before he even came into the game, in anticipation of some magic to come, and when he finally stepped on the pitch, he didn’t disappoint.

Like Pozuelo, Ibrahimovic scored two goals that day. The second was a header that completed a comeback win for the Galaxy after they were down 1-3. The first goal though, was unforgettable — a 38-yard half-volley that announced to his opponents and doubters, who believed he was another example of the league going after washed up European stars, he was as good as advertised.

Ibrahimovic is a great player and an even better character, but at Manchester United the egotistical, arrogant, and ridiculous man was in danger of becoming more fluff than substance. He was still effective, but the game at that level was passing him by. In MLS, he was instantly one of the best players in the league, and his debut was an announcement of that position.

Pozuelo’s story and character seem to be he opposite of Ibrahimovic’s.

Ibrahimovic played for the best clubs in the world, he’s won the biggest trophies, and is well-known around the world, even beyond the borders of soccer fandom. He is a celebrity and he plays into it.

I remember seeing Pozuelo at Swansea City some years ago, but there didn’t seem to be anything terribly special about him at that time. He scored in his debut then, but only scored two total goals for Swansea before moving on to Rayo Vallecano. After only playing in 11 games there, he moved to Genk in the Belgian first division, where he finally had some success.

Where Ibrahimovic debut was advertised to such lengths that an ordinary player would have been crushed by the burden of expectations, Pozuelo’s was built up with a quiet optimism. He was brought on to Toronto FC to replace Sebastian Giovinco, one of the best imports that MLS has ever seen, and it would have been unfair to expect Pozuelo to live up to his predecessor’s standards. His time at Genk proved that he was talented, but perhaps unspectacular.

So Pozuelo’s debut came with a sense of discovery. That a player who had been relatively unknown throughout the world was capable of so much more than expected, and that Toronto had perhaps found its newest star.

I was getting ready to go out that Friday night when I casually checked Twitter to see if anything fun was happening in the soccer world. The video of Toronto’s first goal was being retweeted onto my timeline. It was a simple tap-in goal by Jozy Altidore, but the build made it special.

Pozuelo got the ball in stride from Jonathan Osorio outside the NYCFC box with two defenders in front of him and Altidore free to his left. But rather than laying an easy pass to Altidore, Pozuelo took the ball to his left, to the outside, and toward a defender. He beat the defender, and for a second I questioned his decision-making skills. I thought he was so left-footed that he could only go to his left once he got the ball.

But with the last defender in front of him, and six total surrounding him, mesmerized, Pozuelo made a reverse pass to Altidore. The pass took the defense and NYCFC’s goalkeeper by surprise. The keeper couldn’t scramble to Altidore in time to stop the one-touch finish.

I can’t blame NYCFC players for being so transfixed by Pozuelo that they forgot to defend. I was drawn in by his play as well. At first I was confused by what he was doing, and then delighted that he had enough ability to create an even easier option for Altidore, and add style to the process.

After that, I had to see what else that Pozuelo was going to do. He seemed to be in the mood to show off, flashing tricks and flicks, scooping the ball up for potential assists, and bamboozling defenders on the dribble.

The assist would be the least spectacular of his consequential actions that night. In the second half, Toronto won a penalty and Pozuelo decided to take it using the panenka technique. It’s one thing to do a panenka penalty in the first place — it’s the height of confidence and embarrassment if it backfires, especially in a debut — but Pozuelo also took the penalty with his right foot. For much of the game, he played with his left.

Then Pozuelo’s second goal of that night was as spectacular, in terms of making a debut statement, as Ibrahimovic’s first a year ago. Where Ibrahimovic’s was an example of power and precision, Pozuelo’s was a nonchalant conclusion to a spectacular performance. Ibrahimovic’s goal was more like the misinterpretation of “Carpe Diem” as the decisive “seize the day”, whereas Pozuelo’s was more suited to the accurate translation of “pluck the day.” It was much gentler, but just as effective.

In the 77th minute, he got the ball inside the right side of NYCFC’s box, and after a few touches to settle it, and with two defenders in front of him, Pozuelo casually chipped the ball to the far post. The keeper tried to backpedal to get to it, but his actions were in vain.

Pozuelo didn’t celebrate. He seemed more exhausted and relieved than happy. But his teammates were in disbelief. Nick DeLeon, who was to his right, put his hands on his shaking head before embracing Pozuelo. Altidore who had made a run to the far post when he thought the chip was a pass aimed for him, stood behind the goal with his head in his hands as well, and his mouth wide open in amazement.

I was at home laughing at what I witnessed. Many times when a new player joins a league, fans of that league delight when that player struggles in their first game, as proof of the league’s toughness. But I love when someone like Pozuelo or Ibrahimovic comes in and does the absurd, because it’s a reminder that some players are simply different, and the most you or the defenders (keepers as well) can do is sit back and appreciate the show.