Javier Morales had to know that it would be a special match when he scored just 17 seconds into Real Salt Lake’s May matchup with the Houston Dynamo. Now, that majestic rainbow of a shot from the first minute of that 5-2 victory is in the Semifinal Round of the AT&T MLS Goal of the Year voting.
Morales went on to record a hat trick in the match, but it was the first goal that landed him Goal of the Year consideration. On the play, Morales took a pass from Alvaro Saborio at the edge of the box and floated a shot past his defender and inside the far corner.
The Real Salt Lake playmaker finished the season with nine goals and 12 assists in the 30 matches for RSL and that goal in Week 10 was a standout moment in a tremendous season.
His goal is up against scores from Dax McCarty, Kamani Hill and Lee Nguyen in Group II. Voting runs through 12:59 am MT on Sunday with the top vote-getter in each group advancing to the Final Round.
Vote for Morales’ goal here.
