Albert Rusnák left Utah last week seeking his first international goal while hoping to return with some hardware as Slovakia played in the 2018 King’s Cup in Thailand. Both of those missions were accomplished over the weekend, as Rusnák scored in the opening match against United Arab Emirates, then came on as a sub in the final against Thailand as Slovakia rolled to a 3-2 win to lift the King’s Cup for the second time since the tournament started in 1968.
In the first match, Rusnák took a pass from Patrik Hrošovský on the right edge of the box. He carried the ball toward the endline unabated before angling towards goal. Without much resistance from the United Arab Emirates defense, he powered a shot past goalkeeper Khalid Eisa in the 42nd minute to give Slovakia the 1-0 advantage. Slovakia would go on to top UAE 2-1 in the semifnal to advance to the 2018 King’s Cup championship match on Sunday against host Thailand.
In Sunday’s match, Rusnák was on the bench, but came on as a sub in the 82nd minute to see out the 3-2 victory in the championship game in Bangkok. It was Slovakia’s second tournament championship in as many attempts, as they also won in 2004. The invitational tournament is played every year in Thailand and this year featured international teams from three different continents – Asia, Africa and Europe.
Rusnák, 23, has become a fixture in Slovakia’s lineup since coming to Real Salt Lake, appearing in five of six qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and making his first start in a Group Stage match against Malta. He now has one goal in 10 appearances for Slovakia since first appearing in 2016. With RSL, he has one goal and one assist in three matches this season, giving him eight goals and 15 assists in 33 MLS matches since coming to Utah before the start of the 2017 season. He is scheduled to rejoin Real Salt Lake prior to the club’s match against Toronto FC on Friday in Toronto
