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Football

30th Apr 2016

WATCH: Fancy free kick routines have reached the U.S. and they’re bamboozling defences

Like a charm

Darragh Murphy

The set piece launcher obviously called an audible.

The U.S.A. is still getting used to football, real football that is. Not the one where ball very seldom meets feet.

But it’s coming on leaps and bounds since some higher profile players from Europe have made the trip over to MLS in recent seasons.

Accompanying them are free kick routines destined to perplex defenders throughout North America and one such training ground drill came in handy for the New York Red Bulls on Friday night.

The opener against Dallas arrived when Mike Grella and Bradley Wright-Phillips provided dummy runs before Felipe Martins, who was blocking the goalkeeper’s vision, jumped out of the way.

Sacha Kljestan dinked a ball to the far post where Salvatore Zizzo was waiting to head across the face of goal and Lloyd Sam was only too happy to benefit from the tap-in.

And for those who think it came down to mere fluke, it’s not the first time the Red Bulls have tried this very same routine.

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