Chris Wondolowski is the greatest goal scorer in MLS history, and he likely will be for some time. But while his finishing ability in the box in unparalleled, so too is his country’s desire to scapegoat him for that one miss against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup. So it’s impossible to ignore another incredible Wondo miss, made in the first game of his 17th MLS campaign on Friday night.
The Houston Dynamo beat the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 in the first MLS game of the 2021 season. Memo Rodriguez cleverly opened the scoring and Maxi Urruti was left wide open in the box to double the advantage before a stunning strike from Paul Marie gave the visitors hope for a comeback.
San Jose might’ve been able to salvage an opening-day draw had it not been for a shocking Wondo miss late in the game.
As a reminder, Wondolowski is a legendary MLS player. Nothing will ever take away from that, as he’s currently scored more than 20 goals than anyone else in league history. Even the best strikers miss from time to time, even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scuff chances. But sometimes Wondolowski misses chances in the most spectacular, devastating fashion, as he did Friday night.
Wondo Miss vs. Dynamo
OH NO, WONDO pic.twitter.com/asTFD1RI7g
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 17, 2021
Watching live, I initially thought the Dynamo defender had made an incredible last-ditch save to poke the ball away. How else do you explain the ball going so wide from so close? But replays reveal Wondolowski did indeed miss the target from three feet out.
I really hate piling on Wondo for another miss — he’s not a bad guy, and he definitely doesn’t deserve the hate he receives after that miss against Belgium seven years ago. But you can’t ignore it.
Anyway, here’s Wondo’s teammate Marie scoring from much further out in what was the goal of the season for about an hour until Seattle’s João Paulo hit a stunning volley against Minnesota United.
The curl ☄️ pic.twitter.com/XjE98wm9qV
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 17, 2021
And here are the full-match highlights.
