Farid Sar-Sar felt “alive” as his Chattanooga Football Club teammates buried him in a celebratory dogpile Sunday night at Finley Stadium.
The 27-year-old center back had just scored arguably the biggest goal in the independent club’s 18-year history.
Sar-Sar’s header in the 95th minute, just before the end of added time, completed an unforgettable 3-2 comeback victory over the Columbus Crew II, securing the MLS Next Pro Eastern Conference championship and setting off the home fans at “Fort Finley.”
Positioned perfectly at the top left side of the 6-yard box, Sar-Sar met Tate Robertson’s cross and sent it into the back right corner of the net for the winner. The sequence began with a strong sideline pass from Anthony Sorenson, flicked by Alexis Arrua to Robertson in the right corner.
“I will never forget that goal and the final moments of this game,” Sar-Sar said. “After I scored, I turned and saw everyone celebrating and all of my teammates rushing toward me. I dropped to the ground because I was completely out of energy. They all piled on top of me, and I just felt alive. When the ball was coming toward me, I said to myself in Spanish, ‘Es mía!,’ which means, ‘It’s mine!’ I just tried to put the ball in the back of the net, and it happened. It felt like levitating. It’s the kind of moment you dream of as a kid playing football.”