COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Four games. Zero goals.
For Colorado Rapids striker Luis Solignac, it’s the only metric he has been focused on since signing with the team last month.
“For me the most important thing is getting some goals in my count,” he said. “As a No. 9 I would’ve liked to have two or three goals after these first four games.”
“Like every process, it may take days or weeks. It’s a tough league and sometimes it’s really difficult.”
The Argentine nearly bagged his first last week, earning a penalty call against Real Salt Lake. But Dillon Powers took the kick, missing wide right as goalkeeper Nick Rimando dived left. Before that miss, Powers had a flawless PK record in MLS, hitting all three of his prior attempts.
“I had a small pain in my calf so he took the ball,” Solignac said of the play. “For me it’s fine. As teammates we have to support him. If he has the courage to take the penalty, then that’s fine with me.”
Solignac’s teammates have done likewise to keep his head up throughout the process of adjusting to life in a new country and playing in a new league.
“The relationship is great,” he said. “Speaking English helps because I can understand my teammates and the coaches and that is important in football. With players on the team like Vicente [Sanchez] and Gaby [Torres] who speak the same language, everything is easier.”
It also doesn’t hurt to have fellow Argentines Lucas Pittinari, Juan Ramirez and Rapids director of soccer Claudio Lopez by his side.
“It’s the first time in my life that I’ve played away from home and have had Argentinians on the same team,” he added. “Off the pitch, the hardest thing has been being away from my family and all of my friends back home. They’ve helped me so much.”
He’s also had to make several on-field adjustments. Like many foreign players experiencing MLS for the first time, Solignac has had to adapt to the physicality of the league.
“It’s tough,” he explained. “With almost every team we play, the defenders are big and strong.”
Not just big and strong, but fast.
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“In MLS they play much quicker than in other leagues,” he added. “It was difficult for me in the beginning, but I’m getting used to it.”
Now that he’s become accustomed to the style of play, Solignac believes the Rapids’ attacking group can do more to get things going. For him, it starts in film sessions and day-to-day interactions between teammates and extra work put in outside of practice.
“We have to maybe talk a bit more after practices and games about what we should improve or keep doing,” he said. “Off the pitch we have to talk and review every performance. You need to take some time after training to train with Claudio to get the confidence and the rhythm. But then we have to go out and apply it in every training and every game to score some goals.”
Solignac has compiled a laundry list of learning opportunities and objectives, but one remains the most important:
“It’s getting that first goal. Once you get that, you’ll be unstoppable.”
