Alex Goldman, Edmonton Impact.
Alex Goldman is elite in almost every way; he has a high paintball-IQ, he is the best athlete in the NXL, and the poise he displays in his methodical approach to the game is hard to counter. For more than a decade, Goldman has been the golden standard for snake play in the professional division. He consistently finds a way to assert his will on the opposing team in a way that maybe only Angel Fragoza has matched over the history of the game.
From a standpoint of athleticism, Alex has been at the forefront of the league, always pushing the limit as to what an elite athlete in sport of paintball can be. The most interesting aspect of his game has to be his timing though. Most top athletes in the game look to make aggressive moves and get down the field; while Goldman can do this, he more often is playing a game of chess on the snake side of the field. He picks apart and isolates opposing teams top players and when an opening comes, he strikes like the deadly black mamba.
In a season where Impact began to show the cracks forming in their foundation, Goldman was the critical glue that kept the team together and gave them a level of elite consistency to guide them through the season. His inspired, MVP performance at the season opener in Florida was arguably one of the best individual events by any player in the modern NXL. He doesn't show any signs of slowing down soon and will likely go down as one of the best players in the games history when its all said and done.
Signature Moment of the 2021 NXL Season: The Sunshine State Major was a layout that was both complex and intricate in the way it was played. It had a strong center that allowed teams to slow the game down and create angles to shut down the field. The snake, for the first time in awhile, was not able to be attacked aggressively. The corner was difficult to make off the break for almost every player at the event, that is, except for Goldman. Alex displayed the incredible depth of his knowledge of the game and completely shut off the snake attack of Infamous through a methodical and measure style of play from the snake corner. Goldman was arguably the sole reason Impact was able to outlast Infamous and he earned the event MVP and notched another event win.
From a standpoint of athleticism, Alex has been at the forefront of the league, always pushing the limit as to what an elite athlete in sport of paintball can be. The most interesting aspect of his game has to be his timing though. Most top athletes in the game look to make aggressive moves and get down the field; while Goldman can do this, he more often is playing a game of chess on the snake side of the field. He picks apart and isolates opposing teams top players and when an opening comes, he strikes like the deadly black mamba.
In a season where Impact began to show the cracks forming in their foundation, Goldman was the critical glue that kept the team together and gave them a level of elite consistency to guide them through the season. His inspired, MVP performance at the season opener in Florida was arguably one of the best individual events by any player in the modern NXL. He doesn't show any signs of slowing down soon and will likely go down as one of the best players in the games history when its all said and done.
Signature Moment of the 2021 NXL Season: The Sunshine State Major was a layout that was both complex and intricate in the way it was played. It had a strong center that allowed teams to slow the game down and create angles to shut down the field. The snake, for the first time in awhile, was not able to be attacked aggressively. The corner was difficult to make off the break for almost every player at the event, that is, except for Goldman. Alex displayed the incredible depth of his knowledge of the game and completely shut off the snake attack of Infamous through a methodical and measure style of play from the snake corner. Goldman was arguably the sole reason Impact was able to outlast Infamous and he earned the event MVP and notched another event win.
