Miguel Gonzalez may not be on pace to post the statistics he did as a rookie, but the second-year Switchbacks forward’s playmaking ability remains critical to Colorado Springs’ success.

“He gets a lot of attention, like (2015 leading scorer) Luke (Vercollone) does, from other teams and that’s behind why his stats are not the same,” Colorado Springs coach Steve Trittschuh said. “He has played very well for us and does a lot of good things for us. His ability with the ball really opens things up for his teammates.”

Gonzalez scored the win-clinching second goal in Saturday’s 2-0 home win over St. Louis and in that single play, he displayed why other teams are focused on stopping him, or at least slowing him down.

He took the ball low, used his foot speed to beat a defender and cut to the front of the net and then fired a hard-angle shot that the goalkeeper had little chance to stop. His third goal of the United Soccer League season “was a beauty” as Trittschuh put it, and it showed how dangerous he can be with the ball.

Gonzalez’s one-on-one ability creates headaches for defenders with his speed, which creates gaps in the opposing defense and gets his teammates open. While making the pass may not lead to goals for him, the Mexican native and former Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year at Seattle University is not worried about his personal stats.

“If the net’s open I will shoot but I have no problem making the pass,” Gonzalez said. “I’m not worried about whether I get the goal as long as a teammate does.”

He continues to make progress as a soccer player. He spent the 2014 season with the Premier Development League’s Kitsap Pumas, where he tallied six goals and two assists in 10 appearances for the conference champs. He quickly made the adjustment to the USL, finishing with 11 goals and seven assists in 25 games as a rookie.

That performance and his potential makes Gonzalez, 25, likely to find a home in a Major League Soccer roster next season. For now, he is focused on this season, which includes a Saturday night showdown at third-place Los Angeles (5-2-6) for the Western Conference first-place Switchbacks (7-2-1).

“We want to keep this momentum going for the team,” he said. “I will contribute however I can whether it’s a goal or on defense. The only thing that matters is the team win and to keep getting better as a team.”