From the 17th minute of play, Wednesday night’s match between the U.S. men’s national team and El Salvador at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., belonged to Orlando City winger Chris Mueller.
It started with a leap. Mueller hurdled a defender, sliding at him in the Salvadoran box and driving toward the end line before cutting the ball backward. His pass bounced off two defenders, but it still found the right space for Paul Arriola to slot home the opening goal.
It didn’t technically count as an assist — the ball ricocheted off too many players before arriving at Arriola’s feet — but that didn’t matter. The play gave Mueller the one thing he feeds off the most — confidence.
