Juan Pablo Angel confirmed his explosive arrival on the Major League Soccer scene with a Most Valuable Player performance for the MLS All-Stars in their 2-0 win against Scottish Premier League champions Celtic FC at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Thursday night.
The New York Red Bulls striker displayed cunning and composure to round Hoops goalkeeper Artur Boruc and score the game-winning goal after taking a short pass from Dwayne De Rosario in the 36th minute.
"Juan's goal was just a fantastic finish," said All-Star coach Steve Nicol. "One-on-one with the goalie, keeps calm, goes around him and puts in the net -- a superb finish."
Despite having never played together, Angel and attacking midfielder De Rosario forged a quick rapport in their passing and movement around the box, and Celtic's backline struggled to keep pace in the duo's 65 minutes on the field. Afterwards, Angel was quick to pay tribute to the Dynamo standout and the rest of their All-Star teammates.
"It's easier to adjust when you have good players around you," said Angel. "De Rosario, I think he had a great game today. Every time he got the ball, he was a threat. Any one of those different players can change the course of a game with one pass or one play."
The league's new designated player law has been dubbed the "Beckham rule" by many because of its association with the world's most visible footballer -- who was on hand to watch Thursday evening's festivities from the commissioner's suite -- but Angel, the third-ever DP, has taken MLS by storm with nine goals in 11 matches for the New York Red Bulls.
"I really enjoyed the night tonight," said the Colombian international, who signed with New York on April 17. "I wasn't expecting it -- I've been here [in the United States] just a very short period of time. But I have enjoyed every minute of my time here."
Angel stepped into the unknown when he left English Premier League side Aston Villa -- who paid a club-record transfer fee to sign him from Argentinean power River Plate in 2000 -- to join Bruce Arena's Red Bulls side. But he's instantly prospered in his new environment and his All-Star experience provides a fitting exclamation point for a tremendous MLS initiation.
"It's been a pretty hectic time for me since I got here, but I'm loving it and I won't look back," he said. "I will always be thankful to Aston Villa, they gave me an incredible chance to play for them for a number of years. But this is a new chapter in my career and I'm looking forward to it."
Nicol knows something about trailblazing, having become one of the most successful coaches in his adopted country's history since arriving in New England in 1999. The Scotsman readily acknowledged the vital contributions that seasoned international professionals like Angel can offer the 12-year-old league.
"We've come a long way in 11 years, and we've really reached a point where we may be on the threshold of really taking that extra step, with the likes of Juan and Beckham and some of these other guys coming," said the Revolution boss. "It's going to be a great example -- with the professionalism that Juan shows, all the young guys that are coming into the game will only get better."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
