Miguel Tanton on His Stunning Return to Action

On the sidelines since August 16, there was plenty of excitement when it was announced prior to Saturday’s game that Miguel Tanton would be available once again for selection for Kaya Makati. Although he was yet to be ready for a full 90 minutes, when he came on in the last half hour of the game against Stallion Laguna, he certainly made the most of his return to action. In fact, it took him all but 15 seconds to inject a moment of brilliance that will be talked about for years to come.

As he was jogging to his position in the center of midfield, a Stallion player misplaced a pass in his area. Without hesitation, from just outside the center circle, and with his first touch for more than a month, Miguel lobbed the ball over the keeper for a spectacular finish.

“The energy was perfect because the guys had just scored before I entered, so the vibe was on,” said Tanton after the game. “The ball fell to me perfectly, I was running in perfect stride. The goalie was off his line. I noticed first half that he was coming up pretty high, and I just struck it. Things just came together,” he explained.

Shortly after his stunning strike, he turned away from his marker and teed up Jordan Mintah for a powerful header — Kaya’s third goal in the game.

“It was a good finish. Jordan’s got the height, but putting that away wasn’t easy,” he pointed out. “It was great to be out there. There was a good vibe on the field, so it was nice to pass the ball around with the guys.”

After making a mockery of the prospect of rustiness in his return, Miguel added that he’s not feeling any lasting effects from his injury.

“I don’t notice it. It’s more a confidence thing now. I haven’t been playing any games, so adjusting to game speed and that is the challenge. But the injury is fine,” he said.

“We’ve got six games before the end of the season and hopefully the start of the playoffs, so just taking it one game at a time, looking to get three points in the next one.”