How did this Quincy Amarikwa goal not win MLS Goal of the Year?!

One thing I don’t think many of us consciously think about is the plausible zone from which goals can be scored. Normally it’s the 18-yard box, a little zone maybe beyond that, with an occasional olimpico, some longer range bombs, but you know what’s generally possible, even at a professional level.

And then there’s this Quincy Amarikwa goal with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2016 against the Portland Timbers.

Normally you would expect if there was a goal from this far out, it would be a blast, perhaps a loose ball that a player can run onto for a one-timer. But Amarikwa chipped it, and his slip as he was doing it inadvertently helped, as the ball floated all the way in just under the far post.

There’s such thing as relaxed goals — Thierry Henry was a master of these, for example — but relaxed goals from this far out just don’t happen.

So, the main question: How did this goal not win MLS Goal of the Year?

I worked at MLS for several years, and over time I got a feel for what goals would likely win the league’s top goal of the season. This year, I was way wrong, as Shkelzen Gashi won Goal of the Year for a free kick.

I’m convinced the reason this won is because of the angle behind the free kick. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good goal, but goal of the year? Nahhhhhhh.

Quincy was robbed, put simply. Goals should win Goal of the Year due to a variety of factors: Difficulty, skill, aesthetic value, novelty. I think you could make a case Amarikwa’s goal was superior on at least three of these four attributes, possibly all four.

So justice was not done in this occasion. Even worse, this didn’t even win MLS Goal of the Week! I remember being shocked when this didn’t win in a walk. The voters didn’t get it.

At any rate, let’s watch Quincy’s goal a few more times and know it will go down in history more than the goals that “beat” it. It was a true gem.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.