In his first appearance since returning from Gold Cup duty, Paul Arriola made quite an impact for Club Tijuana.
The U.S. Men’s National Team winger scored the game-winning goal on Tuesday night, leading Club Tijuana to a 1-0 win over Puebla in Copa MX play. The win moves Xolos to the top of their group in the first game of the Apertura tournament.
The goal came just seven minutes in to his first start since his return. The winger darted in to get on the end of a corner kick, heading a shot from range. Puebla goalkeeper Fabián Villaseñor made a diving effort to save, but Arriola’s header was hit too hard and too precise to keep out.
#NoTeLoPierdas
G⚽⚽⚽L de Paul Arriola@Xolos 1-0 @ClubPueblaMX #Jornada2 #CopaCoronaMX 🏆 #Apertura2017
⚽ #SienteTuLiga ⚽ pic.twitter.com/EyeDbIJPBX— Copa MX (@CopaMx) August 2, 2017
Arriola was one of three Americans in the Club Tijuana lineup as he was joined by Alejandro Guido and Michael Orozco in the Xolos starting XI. Joe Corona was also included on the bench but did not make an appearance.
The 22-year-old midfielder has reportedly been the subject of transfer interest from clubs in MLS and Europe.
Nice!
It’s always fun to see the guys coming back from national duty – they usually play with a little added energy for the first few games.
A good way to keep the transfer speculation going.
That was McBride-like! What a header!