Mauro Manotas: “I’ve seen the video [of the goal] and I don’t get tired of watching it.”

HOUSTON – It’s safe to say that every Houston Dynamo fan has seen the Mauro Manotas solo goal against Toronto FC a number of times. Turns out, the Colombian striker watches it every five minutes if he can.

“I’ve seen the video [of the goal] and I don’t get tired of watching it,” Manotas told The Bayoucitian after Monday’s Dynamo training session.

“Every chance I get I look at the video and I’m surprised that no one was there. There were no teammates around for me to pass them the ball. Obviously, when I got the ball from Tommy [McNamara], my first instinct was to go score a goal.”

For good measure, here’s the goal.

It’s not too often you see a striker score a goal one-v-five and yet there was Manotas, taking it upon himself to essentially seal the victory for Houston in an eventual 3-1 win.

That Manotas went headstrong towards goal didn’t surprise his teammates.

“That’s Mauro. He’s a strong boy. He’s a very technical player. When he gets that space to have a shot, he takes his chances,” Dynamo ‘keeper Tyler Deric said. “And I wasn’t expecting anything less.”

The moment of brilliance from the Dynamo’s Designated Player had Twitter buzzing, with a number of soccer publications tweeting the video out. For some publications, like ESPN FC, it was an introduction to arguably one of the most underrated strikers in Major League Soccer.

Most underrated striker in MLS. Don’t @ me. And his name is Mauro Manotas. You figured a BIG media outlet like ESPN FC could use Google to figure that out. Do better ESPN. https://t.co/6lcxvNzRhx — Jesus Acevedo Jr. (@jesus_acevedojr) July 21, 2019

And while ESPN FC didn’t know Manotas’ name, chances are they do now. Furthermore, scoring a goal of that caliber will make anyone a fan.

“When we were in the Toronto Airport, many people approached the team and asked us who scored that goal,” Manotas said. “And that speaks to how beautiful the goal was.”

Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera said the team is happy that Manotas is scoring again. Adding that the team needs him to get his confidence and game fitness back since coming back from the international break which Manotas spent in Colombian working out VISA issues for his wife.

But aside from the goal, Cabrera was happy to see his striker putting in a complete game.

“Not only did he play well, but he was holding the ball, he was making assists, he was making some good runs against Toronto. He made one unbelievable assist that Memo missed, and then he shot twice on goal,” Cabrera said.

“So he was hungry and that, and the opportunity the defenders gave him, a chance for him to not only hold the ball but turn and go at them, he showed why he is our DP player and one of the most important players we have on the team.”

Before his goal, Manotas picked up an assist on Houston’s second goal, but that wasn’t his intention.

In the 22nd minute, Dynamo left-back Adam Lundkvist made a run up the left wing with the ball. The Swede picked out Manotas in the box and sent him a pass. Manotas backheeled a pass to Tómas Martinez who slotted the shot past the Toronto FC ‘keeper. Only, the pass was actually not intended to be a pass.

“When Adam passed me the ball I was trying to set myself up so I could shoot it,” Manotas said. “But when I mishit the ball, it fell to Tómas [Martinez], and well, if Tómas isn’t there we lose the ball cause I didn’t control it. But Tómas was there and it turned into a beautiful pass.”

That Manotas wanted to set himself up for a goal just proves Cabrera’s assessment that Manotas was hungry for a goal.