Albania’s Shkelzen Gashi claims U.S. Major League Soccer ‘Goal of the Year’ award

Tirana Times
By Tirana Times November 16, 2016 10:51

GashiTIRANA, Nov. 16 - Albanian international striker Shkelzen Gashi has claimed the Goal of the Year award at the U.S. Major League Soccer with a wonder left-footed free kick he converted for his Colorado Rapids last September.

Gashi, who has scored nine goals this season helping Colorado make it to the Western Conference Championship, polled 77 percent of the vote, becoming only the second Rapids player to win the award.

The Switzerland-born striker of Kosovo roots won the award for his strike against the Vancouver Whitecaps last September when he broke a 2-2 tie with a lovely swerving free kick that flew into the top corner.

Gashi was the Rapids’ Golden Boot winner, and a number of his nine regular season strikes were special, including a thunderous first-time drive at LA Galaxy and technically testing effort at Sporting Kansas City, which triggered the club’s single-season record run of 15 games unbeaten.

And, of course, had contenders for Goal of the Year also included those scored in the playoffs, then the 37-yard laser against the Galaxy would surely be in the running, writes the Colorado Rapids on its website.

The Albanian international could have the opportunity to add to his resume of stunning strikes when the Rapids travel to Seattle for the first round of the Western Conference Championship on Tuesday, November 22, but the Albanian Designated Player’s presence is doubtful as he continues his rehab from an ankle sprain suffered during the Rapids’ 1-0 victory over the LA Galaxy on Nov. 6.

“Gashi is making improvements every day,” says Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni. “He’s a lot further than anything I anticipated to this point. His participation in the first leg will be doubtful, but with the expectation that we’ll be able to get him in a good way for the home leg.”

The 28-year-old striker looks back to old times in Switzerland where he was named the league’s best player in 2014.

Gashi who joined Colorado Rapids as a Designated Player last February is the second Albanian international to play in the Major League Soccer after Hamdi Salihi’s 2012-2013 spell with D.C. United.

Since joining Albanian in 2013, the Swiss-born attacker of Kosovo origin has scored three goals in 11 appearances for the national side, including a game-winning goal against Armenia in Albania’s Euro 2016 qualification campaign.

Gashi has not been called up in Albania’s last three World Cup qualifiers due to club engagements, being a key absence for the national side who suffered two consecutive home defeats against Spain and Israel in Group G after making its first ever appearance at a major tournament such as Euro 2016.

Tirana Times
By Tirana Times November 16, 2016 10:51