celta.jpg
Getty Images

Luca de la Torre became the latest U.S. men's national team player to score in style in Europe, this time notching the first goal in Celta's 3-1 win over Valencia in Spain's Copa del Rey.

Celta earned a corner in the 13th minute, and Valencia goalkeeper Jaume Domenech was initially able to make a save. The rebound fell to Celta's Kevin Vazquez, though, who headed the ball towards the ground. The ball bounced before it found de la Torre, who wasted no time and with a smooth finish sent the ball into the back of the net.

Celta notched a second goal just five minutes later when Anastasios Douvikas scored a penalty. Valencia earned a penalty of their own, which Pepelu scored in the 29th minute, but Douvikas's brace in 80th minute clinched victory for the Sky Blues. The result means Celta advance to the quarterfinals of the cup competition for the first time since the 2016-17 season, when they were semifinalists.

De la Torre has been a consistent starter for Celta this season, who are making a deep cup run despite being in the thick of La Liga's relegation battle. The side has just 17 points from 15 games and sits just two points above the drop zone, but de la Torre's regular playing time has kept him in the USMNT conversation with the Copa America five months away. 

The San Diego native has played significant minutes since Gregg Berhalter returned as the USMNT head coach in September, especially as a handful of mainstays miss time with injury. World Cup captain Tyler Adams has been out for almost a year after recovering from two hamstring surgeries, while both Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna have spend time out of the team with their own injuries.