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ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Of all the Croatia players who have passed through the microphones during the team's stay in the region, few had a better story to tell than Petar Musa — and his came in "his" Dallas.
The FC Dallas striker, who plays his club football in the very city where Croatia opened its World Cup, scored the goal that briefly pulled his country level with England, capping a two-year road back to the national team. In remarks published by the Croatian Football Federation ahead of the team's departure for Toronto, Musa described the moment as overwhelming.
"The emotions overwhelmed me. I wasn't crying, but I was extremely happy," Musa said of his equalizer against England, calling it a special feeling in a match like that — even as disappointment followed at the final whistle.
For readers of The Alexandria Brief who have followed the team's stay this past week, Musa is a familiar figure: one of two MLS-based players on Croatia's roster, the connection that teammate Marco Pašalić pointed to when the Brief asked, days before the tournament, about the squad's American-based contingent. Now both have left their mark — Pašalić in the buildup, Musa on the scoresheet.
Two years in the wilderness
Musa did not hide what the goal meant. He had been out of the national team for two years, he said, and kept working, playing well and waiting for the call. When it came, he believes he used his minutes well. He said he watched the goal back only two or three times — he prefers analyzing what could have been done better — but acknowledged the strike gives him confidence heading into Panama.
He credited veteran Ivan Perišić for the assist, describing how Perišić won an aerial duel and steered the ball into the space where Musa was waiting. Perišić, Musa said, is — after Modrić — the greatest player in Croatian football history, and a privilege to play alongside.
The teammate who knew
If Musa supplied the emotion, defender Josip Stanišić supplied the tournament's most intriguing footnote. Stanišić plays his club football at Bayern Munich alongside England captain Harry Kane — and, in remarks also published by the federation, revealed that he had a hand in the moment that decided the opener.
After Kane's first penalty was saved by Dominik Livaković and ordered retaken for encroachment, Stanišić said he told Kane he knew where the striker would place the second — because the two had been in that exact situation at Bayern. Kane went the way Stanišić expected. This time, Livaković guessed right but could not keep it out.
Stanišić spoke about the exchange matter-of-factly, noting a goalkeeper has to trust his instincts, and that he had simply congratulated Kane afterward on a strong performance — a brief conversation, he said, between Bayern teammates on opposite sides of a World Cup result.
Turning to Panama, and saluting Modrić
Both players turned their attention to Tuesday's opponent. Stanišić, asked about the pace of Panama winger José Luis Rodríguez, joked that he is not the only quick player on the field, and stressed that Croatia approaches every opponent the same way — going for the win regardless of the name. Musa, speaking as a center-forward, said he expects more attacking chances than Croatia saw against England, and that his job is to work for the team and be ready in every situation.
And both, like teammates before them this week, paid tribute to captain Luka Modrić, set for his 200th cap against Panama. Stanišić called the figure unreal and praised Modrić for treating everyone the same regardless of his stature — something, he said, that matters as much as anything the captain does on the pitch.
Croatia, last in Group L after the England loss, travels to Toronto to face Panama on Tuesday, with the team expected back in the Alexandria area afterward before the group finale against Ghana in Philadelphia on June 27. The Vatreni need results to keep their tournament alive.
