David Villa came to the MLS with the intention of doing big things and bringing attention to the topsy-turvy American soccer league. On Friday night, he did just that in the most impressive of fashions. During a ho-hum game between his team and a regional rival, the striker took a chance, perhaps in jest, to score a goal from way out. What happened next blew the minds of nearly everyone watching the game and set the internet aflame.
Insane goal
Time was winding down in the MLS game on Friday night, with New York City FC staked to a 1-0 lead. As stoppage time neared, a pass was chipped in the general direction of Villa, who started to chase down two defenders from the Philadelphia Union to reach the ball. He managed to take a tap off a bad bounce and just past the midfield line and decided to launch the ball all the way to the net, where goalkeeper Andre Blake stood slightly out of position, as all goalkeepers are when their team is in the opposing zone.
Villa and the rest of the MLS universe watched as the ball sailed right over Blake's outstretched arms (and he's a tall, Jamaican national team goalkeeper).
Everyone looked stunned by what had occurred, most of all the striker who had just performed the highlight-reel goal - his celebration started off relatively muted before his teammates joined him. The goal pushed New York City FC to a 2-0 victory, but it also spurred interest in soccer on a night that could've been about the young MLB season or the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.
Serving his purpose
David Villa is part of a long lineage of players who have tried to make an impact in the MLS ever since the great experiment of putting David Beckham in Los Angeles. Since then, Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba are among the international superstars who have left their mark on the league. There may be more coming, as rumors surrounding a future including Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic swirl constantly.
For now, Villa is fulfilling his duties as the first player in the history of the New York City FC squad that has found success in its young life in the MLS. It's unclear how long the Spanish national team's all-time leading goal scorer will stick around in a country that doesn't support soccer the same way it's supported internationally. The 35-year-old can always say, however, that he scored arguably the greatest goal in the history of the league via his 50-yard chip shot on Friday.