COMMERCE CITY — The Rapids needed a goal — any goal — to claw even in their playoff series against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday.
They didn’t expect to get the goal of the year.
Albanian attacker Shkelzen Gashi unleashed an absolute goalazo from about 40 yards, a left-footed out-swinging swerve that hit the inside of the post and went in past Galaxy goalie Brian Rowe. The ESPN announcer called it a “shot in a million.”
“In a moment like that, I don’t think too much. The ball came to my side in a good position and I just took a shot,” Gashi said. “In this season, I’ve had a lot of shots and today, it was the right moment.”
Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni said he’s seen Gashi execute shots like that in training frequently.
“He’s got a quick release, he tries to find little gaps to be able to shoot from distance,” Mastroeni said. “In big games, you need your big players to make plays.”
Said L.A. Galaxy coach Bruce Arena: “He hit a great ball. Maybe if our goalkeeper’s techniques are a little bit better, he has a chance to make a save. The ball moved, you could see it knuckle a little bit. I don’t think he was necessarily ready for the shot. It was the difference in the game.”
The goal was Gashi’s 10th since joining the Rapids but only his second at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
“I saw him lining it up when he had space with distance and he was trying to get back and get set,” Rowe said. “It looked like it started outside the goal and moved back. With the elevation and the way he striked it, it was a good goal off the post and in.”
