Mathis Albert is never going to forget his first international campaign with the USMNT. For one, it was not only a major breakthrough for the rising Borussia Dortmund star, but it was also filled with milestones.
In his first appearance, he won a penalty within three minutes of coming onto the pitch. Albert then scored his first USMNT goal in just second game, also setting the record for the youngest ever to bag a goal although it was later surpassed by Cavan Sullivan. And today, in his fourth cap with the Stars and Stripes, he made his first international start.
Third youngest to ever start for USMNT
After back-to-back promising displays off the bench, Mauricio Pochettino went a little easy on him for the Mexico clash by subbing him in for just the last two minutes of normal time but handed the BVB starlet his first start today against Canada, their last fixture of the current international window.
Albert was deployed on the left side of a three-pronged attack behind lone striker Justin Ellis, who scored the winning goal for the USMNT off a cross from Alex Freeman just 29 minutes into the kick-off.
While there were no big attacking moments from Albert today with Canada running their rivals roughshod with a rather physical game, committing 22 fouls and limiting the USMNT to just 68 passes in the opposition half, he was still an eye candy for the home fans with his uncanny dribbling skills; an outlet to relieve some of the pressure.
His first touches were promising and sought to disrupt Canada's rhythm by fearlessly competing for the ball. Timing his tackles to perfection, Albert won all three he attempted on the day while also winning five of his 10 ground duels as the Dortmund attacker was a thorn in Canada's flesh, constantly seeking to challenge them.
The 17-year-old didn't get a clear sight of goal as he did in the games to Peru and Chile, but in one rare occasion when he managed to get in behind the Maple Leaves, Albert was caught offside.
Although today's game didn't yield any headline-grabbing moment, it was still another big step forward in his burgeoning international career, as Albert also became the third youngest American to start for their national team after Mike Slivinski (16 years, 318 days) and Cavan Sullivan (16 years, 363 days).
Time for BVB breakthrough
Technically, Albert has already has his breakthrough with Dortmund's first-team when he made his senior debut off the bench against Freiburg in April. But this time, he could have a chance to become a regular in the side.
Before the international window, the 17-year-old didn't play a single game in the Bundesliga this season in spite of featuring regularly in their preseaon campaign, also scoring the only goal of their 1-0 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf.
But now, coming off of such a remarkable international breakthrough, it's hard to think about Albert and not picture him in the matchday squad.
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