Colorado Rapids star winger Shkelzen Gashi became the fifth MLS player in history to appear in a Euro championship match on Saturday after he came on as a substitute for Albania in their tournament debut against Switzerland.
With Switzerland up 1-0, Gashi came on in the 82nd minute for 10-man Albania – captain Lorik Cana was sent off for a second bookable offense in the 36th minute – entering the match for Albania No. 10 Armando Sadiku.
The Rapids' offseason signing proceeded to line up on the right side of midfield and just five minutes after subbing in, he was involved in one of the defining moments of the match.
The 27-year-old Gashi, making his 14th appearance in an Albania jersey, beat the offside trap with a cross-field run that left him 1-on-1 against the Swiss goalkeeper, Yann Sommer. After using impeccable control to bring the ball down, he lined up the ball on his favored left foot, but his shot was stopped by Sommer who came off his line to close down the angle.
Gashi will have a chance at redemption in Albania's remaining group matches vs. hosts France (June 15) and against Romania (June 19).
MLS fans will look to see if the other two MLSers at the tournament will add their name to the list below as early as Monday. Laurent Ciman's Belgium side and Robbie Keane's Republic of Ireland team make their tournament debut on June 13 in Group E.
