ORLANDO, Fla. - It's not often a player gets to represent their country five minutes down the road from where they play their club soccer. But on Thursday night, Orlando City forward Marco Pašalić took the pitch at Camping World Stadium for his home country of Croatia as they played Colombia in an international friendly.
After coming close to scoring in the early stages of the match, Pašalić managed to secure the game-winning assist in the 42nd minute. Coming from a corner, the Lions winger whipped a ball into the box with his left foot, finding the head of Igor Matanović to put Croatia up 2-1.
Through the rest of the 79 minutes that Pašalić played, he was active on both sides of the ball, playing a more defensive shape in the second half. At the end of it, Marco was one of the most effective players for Croatia with three big chances created and a 93% passing accuracy.
After the match, Pašalić spoke about what it meant to not only play for his national team, but also to play in the city that he now calls home.
"I spoke with my family about this, and I say I believe in God, and I say that's destiny that my game is here in Orlando with the Croatian national team, because my heart is purely Croatian," Pašalić said after the game. "I cannot describe when I play for Croatia, it's a different feeling. So I'm even happier that my family is here in Orlando, my club is here, my home is here, and I play with Croatia here and win here."
