"We've been searching for the right number nine for this club, and we think we've found it"
Those were Head Coach Ben Olsen's words late last month when D.C. United introduced Hamdi Salihi as the squad's newest acquisition. Within weeks, the striker has already begun to deliver on his coach's bold comments with a pair of goals in his first two matches.
Still, with the only proof of Salihi's recent exploits these admittedly grainy video clips, United's fans are well within their rights to inquire about the Albanian's playing style and how it will translate to the rigors of a full MLS season.
Answering that question however, is no easy task, and takes us into the murky realm of 'intangibles'.
Salihi relies more on anticipation than raw pace. At 6-foot-1 and weighing 170 pounds, the 28-year-old is big enough yet not an overwhelming physical presence. He's solid with his back to goal, but not a true target forward. In short, there is no physical quality that defines Salihi's game. Salihi's most lethal attribute has thus far proven to be his brain.
"He's a thinker," noted fellow forward Josh Wolff. "He's constantly moving and scheming around the backs. He's not a big guy but he uses his space very well. His timing is impeccable."
"He's a very smart player," added Salihi's strike partner Dwayne De Rosario. "He's dangerous in the box. He makes good runs, timely runs, and he reads the game really well."
Salihi's pair of tallies in Charleston exemplified the varied nature in which his mind works. Against Chicago, it was urgency and ambition that prompted the striker to fire off a shot that - as United midfielder Chris Pontius himself put it - most players would't have even attempted. On the Charleston strike, Salihi's mind was on the opposite end of the spectrum, exhibiting extreme patience as Andy Najar worked his magic down the flank. Over a fifty yard run, Salihi walked the offsides tightrope while making a calculated dash to the front of the Battery goal.
The final piece to Salihi's mental puzzle is one critical to any goal-scorer's repertoire. In a job where you often fail more than you succeed, the ability to manufacture confidence is a must.
"This is my job. This is why I was paid everywhere [I've played]," he said in an interview before his introduction. "This is what I have to do. It's not pressure, it's normal. I will try to do my best, I know my quality and I know what I can do."
Chicago and Charleston know what he can do, here's hoping that Kansas City is the next to find out.
