Talk about an instant impact.
Not even a minute after making his MLS debut as a second-half substitute on Saturday, FC Dallas' Francis Atuahene scored the goal his team was looking for, leveling their match against the San Jose Earthquakes with a lovely outside-of-the-boot finish that proved to be the final goal in a 2-2 draw:
Was Atuahene — the fourth overall pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft — the player who scored quickest on his MLS debut, though?
Almost, but not quite. Per MLS Communications, that distinction belongs to D.C. United's Alhaji Kamara, who scored 33 seconds after entering a match against Sporting KC on May 26, 2016. Atuahene, at 42 seconds, is good for second place on that list:
Fastest goal after making MLS debut
Min. On |
Goal |
Player |
Date |
Match |
Goal After |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
85 |
86 |
Alhaji Kamara |
5/27/2016 |
DC at SKC W 1-0 |
33 seconds |
<em>64</em> |
<em>65</em> |
<em>Francis Atuahene</em> |
<em>6/8/2019</em> |
<em>DAL at SJ T 2-2</em> |
<em>42 seconds</em> |
63 |
64 |
Benji Joya |
3/9/2014 |
CHI at CHV L 2-3 |
49 seconds |
One thing to note here: neither Kamara nor Joya would score another goal in MLS. Dallas and their fans, not to mention Atuahene himself, will surely be hoping he can bag a few more.
