Picture this.
Your club is constantly behind the country's most dominant club, but finally gets a shot at the big time. Be it a championship match, a continental run, anything applies here.
But the season after securing qualification, your club is immediately the subject of major transfer rumors. One player is already on the way out, and another is linked to clubs in France and England, among others.
And at the same time, the club was eliminated from the competition they initially qualified for, but was given a second chance at continental football via tertiary divisions.
That's exactly what happened recently with Croatian side Hajduk Split
That's the club that American midfielder Rokas Pukstas departed in favor of Middlesbrough. Despite finishing behind domestic superpower Dinamo Zagreb yet again, securing a second-place finish behind Zagreb's dominant title victory, they were able to secure a berth in the Europa League qualifying rounds.
The club ultimately advanced to the second round of Europa League qualifying, defeating Slovak side MSK Zilina 3-2 on aggregate to get there, but they would surrender a 2-0 first-leg advantage to Cypriot club Pafos to exit the pre-tournament phases.
Hajduk Split still had a shot at European football; by virtue of getting to the second round of Europa League qualifying, they gained automatic entry to the third round of Conference League qualifying. They stormed through the third round of qualifying, defeating Lithuanian side Zalgiris 9-2 on aggregate, to set up a two-legged playoff tie with Polish side Rakow Czestochowa, with the winner securing qualification to the league phase.
Pukstas might have already been on the way to Middlesbrough, but he and Hajduk Split collectively decided to push the effective date of the transfer to allow him the opportunity to help the club finish their European qualifying campaign.
And help them qualify, he did. The two clubs shared the spoils during the opening leg of the playoff tie, setting up a crucial win-and-in contest in Poland.
Like the first leg, the second contest was a back-and-forth contest. Ultimately, it was Pukstas who scored the winning goal in the 94th minute to send Hajduk Split into the league phase of the Conference League.
What's more is that he addressed the club and its supporters prior to his departure, expressing how much the club meant to him and taking the chance to provide a farewell.
What does this do for Pukstas' reputation moving forward?
While the decision by Pukstas to briefly extend his stay in Croatia might represent some discouragement, especially after Middlesbrough helped USMNT midfielder Aidan Morris by bringing Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten into the fold as a means to create on-field chemistry, it is one that is completely understandable.
This becomes especially true when considering that a good handful of professional footballers spend the majority, if not all, of their careers with one club. Jamie Vardy spent 13 years with Leicester City, while Harry Kane spent two decades in Tottenham Hotspurs' professional and youth systems. In doing so, these kind of players tend to gain an attachment to the clubs they represent. We see this in the case of Kane; despite spending some time as an Arsenal fan, he dedicated much of his career to Tottenham and left a valuable legacy behind.
Pukstas' six-year tenure with Hajduk Split might not rival Vardy's or Kane's careers with their respective clubs, but what he contributed recently and throughout his time in Croatia represents significant value in its own respect. Choosing to delay his departure for the betterment of his current club not only speaks to the level of dedication he can show, but it also shows how much a club can mean to him.
That kind of passion could be instrumental for Middlesbrough and the USMNT. To field a player like Pukstas, who will get the job done no matter the circumstances and who will dedicate themselves to doing so, would mean significantly raising the energy levels of the team.
For Middlesbrough, it could be the difference between simply finishing eighth or higher and earning promotion to the Premier League.
For the USMNT, it could mean winning the CONCACAF Nations League and topping continental rivals like Mexico in the upcoming international window.
My message to Mauricio Pochettino?
Get Pukstas into the lineup.
That is a player who can, has, and will win football games, no matter the scale.
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