Carlos Rivas finally found the goal he has been looking for all season.
It had been a tight game on Saturday between the Colorado Rapids and Orlando City, and despite creating chances, the match remained scoreless through the start of the second half. But in the 70th minute, Rivas used his strength to launch a rocket of a goal from outside the 18-yard box that hit the back of the net and gave Orlando City the lead.
Rivas came on in the 59th minute as a substitute for Giles Barnes. Head Coach Jason Kreis made the decision to keep Rivas on the bench to take some pressure off him and give him a different perspective on the match. It certainly paid off.
“I think I’ve been trying to get this goal for many games now and when the opportunity finally came I thought it was just beautiful,” Rivas said. “I’m really excited about it. I honestly didn’t anticipate that it was going to happen. I saw the perfect chance to take the strike that I like to take and everything happened the way it did.”
Rivas has worked very hard this season, and that work has been noticed by his teammates, the coaching staff, and the fans. When Rivas’ ball found the back of the net, he charged across the field and the stadium erupted in cheers. Rivas’ teammates were very happy to see him find success.
“It was great. What a goal that was,” Scott Sutter said after the match. “It was a great shot, a great goal, and we’re all very pleased for him.”
“Amazing goal. I think everyone, not just him, was waiting for this goal,” Kaká said. “That kind of a goal, especially, because he’s strong, he’s got a very good shot, and we have been waiting for this goal.”
Rivas said he wasn’t trying to do anything special. He just wanted to play his game, and he knew that his moment would come.
“At the end of the day, it was just important for me to be me,” Rivas said. “And give the fans something to cheer about.”
Rivas and his teammates are hoping that this goal is the first of many for Rivas, who is still in the early days of his career. His head coach has no doubts.
“Really, really pleased for him that he finally gets the goal that breaks the camel’s back,” Head Coach Jason Kreis said. “I believe we’re going to see incredible things moving forward from him.”
