Thiago Almada’s 35-yard free-kick goal for Atlanta United against the Portland Timbers has been viewed millions of times on social media. A decent number of those views were surely made by European scouts keeping a close eye on the Argentinian, who has lit up the early stages of the new Major League Soccer season with four goals and four assists in as many games.
Almada is MLS’s must-watch player. Atlanta United are a work in progress after an off-season of change, but their No 23 is the full package. He can dribble, he can pass, he almost always makes the right decision and he can pick out the top corner with a laser of a free-kick from a position closer to the halfway line than the goal, as he demonstrated earlier this month.
