Photo credit: Pat Radigan / Footy at 5280
An unexpected pair of familiar faces told the club’s newest attacker positives about the club, which helped Maziz decide to join Colorado
Note: this piece originally appeared in inboxes on Sunday, August 23. Sign up for Nourse’s Notes here to get first access to newsletter stories.
As long as he’s contributing to goals, Youssef Maziz will be just fine in Colorado. He did so in his debut with a game-winning assist against Sporting Kansas City, joining a long list of Colorado Rapids to record a goal or assist in their first match (or home match) with the club. He was the first attacker on the list.
His set piece delivery to Reggie Cannon in the 65th minute, only a few minutes after subbing into the game, set a tone for what fans can expect from the French midfielder the club signed on a free transfer last month from OH Leuven in Belgium.
Precision, creativity and foresight are what the club raved over him in the couple of weeks between signing and appearing. Set pieces seem to be a specialty, judging by his assist on a corner against SKC and his forcing of an own goal by LAFC’s Jeremy Ebobisse on a free kick days later. Off the 28-year-old’s boot, the ball whips into the danger area with speed and accuracy the club hasn’t seen since Djordje Mihailovic’s departure.
His motor is impressive. In both games, but particularly against LAFC, some of his best work came on the counterpress in trying to win the ball back. He was all over the field despite having to adjust to the altitude, something by which most players are taken aback when joining the Rapids.
With the ball, he takes positive action early and often. He doesn’t always settle for the backward pass or easy path. After all, he came here for a reason.
“What excites (me) now is what excited (me) when (I) started to look into the team: a team that has possession for a large period of the game and a team that likes to find players between the lines,” Maziz said through assistant-coach-turned-translator Elliot Prost. “(I) feel this is a really good fit for (me) where you can be found between the lines, where you can be asked to create, and that’s a system (I) think (I) can fit really well.”
It’s clear at times he still needs to get more used to his new teammates, and vice versa, but the signs of a dangerous attacking weapon are apparent. He was one of the best chance creators in Belgium in his three seasons with Leuven.
He seems at least somewhat at home with his new team. That’s in part because while looking for a new club, a pair of identical mutual friends helped sell their former club to Maziz: Kévin and Rémi Cabral, the French twins who spent a few seasons in Colorado. A story for another time: Kévin’s positive endorsement of the club despite being waived mid-season last year.
“(My) first thought was to do some research because (I’m) friends with a couple of players from France who played at Colorado in the past, so (I) spoke to those people,” Maziz said. “(I) quickly found that it’s a club that is well-run and well-organized. From there, (I) spent some time watching games and clips of the team, and it’s a team that plays football really well and really structured. That was the process when (I) first heard about Colorado’s interest.”
For now, once he and Rafael Navarro can consistently get on the same page, Colorado’s attack could become imposing again. Certain moments suggest they’re on the same chapter, but are still finding the exact page number to pull from.
