From the 17th minute of play, Wednesday night’s match between the U.S. men’s national team and El Salvador at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., belonged to Orlando City winger Chris Mueller.
It started with a leap. Mueller hurdled a defender, sliding at him in the Salvadoran box and driving toward the end line before cutting the ball backward. His pass bounced off two defenders, but it still found the right space for Paul Arriola to slot home the opening goal.
It didn’t technically count as an assist — the ball ricocheted off too many players before arriving at Arriola’s feet — but that didn’t matter. The play gave Mueller the one thing he feeds off the most — confidence.
With his feet firmly underneath him, the winger set fire to the Salvadoran defense to net two goals and add an assist during a 6-0 win.
The night marked Mueller’s debut for the national team, a cherished moment he’d been chasing since he was a kid.
During the whirlwind week of camp leading up to the match, the 24-year-old winger said he was doing his best to make the most of every minute. The pain of Orlando City’s conference semifinal loss to New England was still sharp, but the national team call-up offered a chance to soften the blow.
Mueller scored his first international goal by doing what he does best — keeping busy. The winger sprang into movement after a shot by Ayo Akinola ricocheted off the chest of the Salvadoran keeper, sagging into an open pocket in the box to await a pass from Jackson Yueill.
With the ball at his feet, Mueller took his time, collecting and dancing before smashing the ball into the left net. Five minutes later, Mueller seemed to float for a moment as he launched himself airborne, knocking in a back-post pass with his head for a brace.
The Americans continued at a breakneck pace, setting up Mueller for another breakaway. With wide-open space to clinch a hat trick, he instead chose to dump off a final pass to the backside, allowing Akinola to slide through the ball for a fifth U.S. goal.
In the span of seven minutes, Mueller had created three goals for the Americans.
The onslaught dwindled in the second half, but Mueller still had a hand in the sole goal of the period. He played a ball deep into the box for Sebastian Lletget, who set up Brenden Aaronson for the final score of the night.
In total, Mueller played a part in five of the Americans’ six goals.
Mueller earned the attention of coach Gregg Berhalter after his standout 2020 season. He powered the Orlando City offense, netting a team-best 10 goals and tallying seven assists during a historic season for the Lions.
A year ago, the winger wasn’t on the national team radar. Now he’s beginning to battle for a more permanent position on the U.S. roster.
There’s still a long road to go before Mueller can claim a place in the national team rotation. But the winger began to build his case as the indisputable man of the match during his debut performance.
