Perhaps the best evidence of how well Miguel Almiron played in scoring three goals – his first hat trick – and leading Atlanta United to a 4-1 win over Houston on Saturday comes from those who watched:
- "He's special. That second goal was – not many guys can pull that off," teammate and Atlanta United captain Michael Parkhurst said.
- "He is a special player. He hits that top corner twice after a full sprint/run. Not a lot of people can do that," teammate Julian Gressel said.
- "We got punished by one of the best players in this league. (Miguel) Almirón had unbelievable opportunities, (an) unbelievable night and he was very clinical," Houston coach Wilmer Cabrera said.
- "You saw him on that counter attack with myself and (DaMarcus) Beasley, he took off. He's very fast and technical. He's got all of the tools to be a great player in this league," Houston fullback A.J. DelaGarza said.
Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino said he thought Almiron was ready to break out. After passing up two good shots in last week’s 1-1 tie at Portland, the coaching staff asked Almiron in the days before the Houston game to shoot more. He finished the game against Houston with six shots, twice as many as his previous high.
“I know I have to shoot when I have the opportunity and today – thanks to God – I was able to score,” Almiron, an attacking midfielder, said.
His first goal came on blistering shot with his preferred left foot into the upper left corner in the 29th minute. He picked up the ball around 18 yards out, crossed the penalty box to create space and slammed the shot at the near post. It was his third goal this season. Yamil Asad won the ball, which allowed Almiron to steal it.
Another strong defensive play by Asad, this time near midfield, started a counter-attack for Atlanta United and led to Almiron's second goal in the 42nd minute. Asad passed to Almiron, who passed to Julian Gressel on the right. His cross found Almiron. He eluded one defender by lifting the ball and sliding past him and then, as he was falling down, struck the shot for the goal into the corner.
Almiron still isn’t sure how he beat that first defender. He said he was talking about the move with Asad in the locker room after the game.
His third goal, Atlanta United’s fourth, came when a teammate was hauled down in the penalty box on a counter-attack.
Almiron said he asked Hector Villalba if he could take the penalty kick to complete his hat trick. Villalba agreed. Almiron coolly put the ball into the goal's lower left corner in the 80th minute to complete the second hat trick for an Atlanta United player this season. Josef Martinez had the first, coming against Minnesota United in the team's second game.
“I think you saw that in Portland that we also had a lot of chances [to score], but unfortunately, we weren’t able to convert,” Almiron said. “Today, the team is leaving happy, me especially, I’m happier with the team’s performance. I think the team deserved a victory for all of the effort we have given.”
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