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Vancouver Whitecaps striker Darren Mattocks must have been wearing spring-loaded boots when he headed in a goal against Toronto FC last night.

Apart from Robbie Keane goals and episodes of madness from David Beckham, there isn’t an awful lot to report from the MLS, but occasionally the much-derided league produces moments of quality and athleticism on a par with far superior leagues across the world.

This goal from Vancouver Whitecaps striker Darren Mattocks doesn’t appear to be anything more than a run-of-the-mill header, but take a second glance at the slo-mo replay and you’ll begin to appreciate the sheer athleticism he showed to leap well beyond the reach of the keeper’s fist and head the ball into an empty net.

The left-wing cross from Jordan Harvey was something of a hit and hope effort, but at the moment Mattocks connects with the ball, his feet are at the same level as the opposition defender’s head and his head is well above the ‘keeper’s fully stretched arm.

The goal itself isn’t exactly a thing of beauty, but Mattocks’ salmon like-leap into the air is something to behold and with the new rules in place, he’d cause some damage at the edge of the square if he could ever be persuaded to turn his hand to Gaelic Football. He'd have to catch the ball first, of course.

Check out his airborne excellence for yourself in the video above.