MONTREAL – Felipe's scissor-kick goal was simply brilliant.
As the ball bounced in the direction of the net, the Stade Saputo crowd watched intently. The twine then shook behind Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath, releasing a tremendous cheer for the Impact’s second goal in their 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday as Felipe bounced back on his feet to salute the Ultras Montréal. In the goalscorer's native language, this could only be described as an outright golaço.
As it turned out, the spectators were not the only ones catching their breath.
“It’s funny, because there were moments before where it was almost like, ‘Have a little more patience. Make an extra pass,’” Montreal head coach Jesse Marsch reminisced after Saturday's game. “And Hassoun [Camara] puts one in the box and I’m sort of thinking, ‘Could we have held on to it?’ And the next thing I know, Felipe pulls that out and it’s in the back of the net.”
WATCH: Felipe scissor-kick buries Philadelphia
Marsch, who once described his first contact with the Brazilian on a scouting trip to Switzerland as “thinking that we had found a little gem,” again spoke very highly of Felipe, a player who always makes sure to “pour everything he has into it.”
Good words from the coach, teammates who gladly entrust him with the ball and an engaging crowd that drives the team to pull off wins at home are all factors that might have boosted Felipe’s self-confidence as of late, but, said Marsch, it is still a team thing.
“There’s a strong confidence within our group right now,” Marsch said. “It’s not an arrogance, it’s not an overconfidence. It’s just a strong belief in who we are and what we’re doing.”
As for the little Brazilian, he enjoyed his special moment. But he’s already turned his attention to something else – namely, a playoff race.
“I’m happy with the goal," Felipe added. "It’s one of the nicest I’ve scored, but the most important is the three points."
