‘I had a good feeling I was going to score’ – Llanez recalls debut goal for USMNT

U.S. men’s national team winger Ulysses Llanez has spoken glowingly of his USMNT debut, with the teenager scoring in a friendly against Costa Rica in February.

The 19-year-old is considered one of the top prospects in the U.S. pipeline, and he was recently promoted to the first team at Wolfsburg as he seeks a senior debut. 

Llanez has already achieved his USMNT debut, and he marked the occasion by scoring from the spot in a 1-0 victory over the Ticos.

The Southern California native admitted that getting his first cap in the Los Angeles area was something he never could have envisioned, saying he enjoyed his first taste of life with the senior national team.

“It was a good experience,” Llanez said to Wolfsburg’s social media channels. “I never thought I would get my first cap back home. Training with the big guys … people that are experienced, it was a good experience for me.”

Llanez didn’t hesitate to take the penalty early in the second half, saying that he had a good feeling he could convert the opportunity.

“It’s just a PK. I always have one spot to shoot so that’s always my spot to go,” Llanez said. “It was just like, ‘If I miss I miss,’ but I had a good feeling I was going to score.

“My guts were telling me, ‘you know what, just take it. You have a good feeling of scoring.'”

The match came just days after the tragic death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, and Llanez was able to take part in a tribute to the former Los Angeles Lakers star after scoring the opener.

“We were celebrating and our captain (Aaron Long) told us, ‘Hey let’s do a Kobe celebration,'” Llanez recalls. “I was like ‘all right, what are we doing?'”

“[Long said], ‘All right Uly, get the ball and do a fadeaway’ so I got it and just did a fadeaway.”

As the Bundesliga looks to return in May from its coronavirus hiatus, Llanez could be set to make his debut soon with Wolfsburg’s senior side. 

The club has high hopes for Llanez, who was signed from the LA Galaxy academy in July 2019.

“Ulysses is clear in his actions, strong in one-v-one situations and has a strong finish,” Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schäfer told Kicker last week.