The moves, the change of pace, the changes of direction and the control of his body and the ball - all finished with a perfect pass that Gustaf Nilsson pushed in to make it 2-1 against Greece on Thursday.
Suddenly, the Swedish fans got a new favorite.
At the same time, national team captain Potter and others with him saw what could be loosely called a joker - in this case with the 'VM-' prefix.
Wants to contribute seriously
Taha Ali would rather be seen as something more. Not necessarily a starter picked on the spur of the moment after a particularly successful start, but someone who gets to be there and contribute seriously.
"It's just a matter of me continuing to do my thing. I may have increased my chances of getting more playing time and contributing," he says.
That said, he allowed himself to be emotional and enjoy all the positive reviews.
"There's been a lot of love. I've taken it all in. It's been huge. Most of all, I'm grateful for the chance to make my debut and everything that came after that was special," he says at a press conference after the national team's first training session in a rainy Dallas.
A pinch of salt
But keeping your feet on the ground is what matters.
"I know if I've had a good match or a bad one. Everything was great (on Thursday), but there's another match coming up. You can enjoy it on the same day, but then you have to take everything with a grain of salt."
Parts of the family and some childhood friends are flying to Monterrey - hopefully to see Taha Ali in the national team's World Cup debut against Tunisia in a week.
