Sure, after being invited to the 2011 and 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Amy Rodriguez was left off the team this year, surpassed by other USA attacking talent.
But with her World Cup teammates out, Rodriguez showed that she was the class of the remaining bunch by scoring an early bolt from the blue, enough against New Jersey-based Sky Blue FC on Saturday night for a 1-0 win for the Utah Royals.
The 16th-minute goal came in impressive fashion. Rodriguez picked the ball well on her side of the halfway line, then dribbled all the way to about 25 yards from the goal against a retreating Sky Blue defense.