Alexey Miranchuk says he's still getting acclimated to Major League Soccer, but the way the Atlanta United midfielder opened his MLS scoring account shows the kind of quality (and hype) he can bring to the league.
Miranchuk's first goal got the attention of fans across MLS. On Saturday, the midfielder locked up the fan vote for AT&T Goal of the Matchday for Matchday 33. He cleared the bar easily for the win, receiving 50.8 percent of the fan vote.
Miranchuk scored a golazo in Atlanta's come-from-behind draw against Inter Miami CF Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The left-footed curler outshined Lionel Messi on the pitch and led Atlanta United to a 2-2 draw against the leaders in the Supporters' Shield race.
The goal beat out three others to win Goal of the Matchday. The other nominees included goals scored by Anderson Julio (Real Salt Lake), Tom Pearce (CF Montréal) and Bobby Wood (New England Revolution).
Miranchuk joined Atlanta United during the summer transfer window Italy’s Serie A. He most recently played for Atalanta, a club that won the Europa League for the 2023-2024 season.
Wednesday's match was just his fourth MLS appearance and third start.
Watch his first MLS goal and the Goal of the Matchday below:
