It’s difficult to take your eyes off him during Portugal games.A physically striking figure who stands out among his colleagues, the architect of two goals and whose influence was crucial as his side kick-started their World Cup with a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.Also, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to form with two goals.Yes, the other key man in Portugal’s tension-settling victory in Houston was Austin MacPhee, one of Roberto Martinez’s assistants who is moonlighting at the World Cup, from his day job as Aston Villa’s set-piece coach.His influence at the Premier League club is well-established: last season Villa scored 29 goals from set pieces, the joint-most in Europe alongside Arsenal (who have their own set-piece guru in Nicolas Jover). Such is his celebrity that during their victory in the Europa League final, Villa fans could be heard singing “Austin MacPhee ole ole.”He hasn’t quite reached that status with Portugal yet, but two of their goals against Uzbekistan came from set pieces, and they almost got another via one of MacPhee’s smart manoeuvres.Just as at Villa, when his team gets a free kick or corner, MacPhee becomes the main character. He steps out to the edge of the technical area and beyond, blonde locks flowing behind him like the bass player in a 1980s hair metal band, shouting instructions to the players.Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic appDuring one corner in the second half, the information clearly didn’t quite get through and he began waving his arms frantically to get the players’ attention, crossing them into an X shape to tell them to stop what they were doing. But it was too late, a short corner was followed by a meek cross which was cleared and Uzbekistan countered. On the touchline, MacPhee flapped his arms in frustration.He has reached the World Cup via a slightly roundabout route: he’s from Scotland, where his coaching career began and he spent some time working at Hearts. His career has taken in scouting work for Mexico at the 2014 World Cup, US college football with the Wilmington Seahawks, stints in Japan, Romania and the Scottish national team, before arriving at Villa in 2021.His role is slightly different with Portugal to Villa, where he is very specifically a set-piece coach. At Portugal, he is a more general assistant to Martinez. He took up the role in February this year, and he already seems to be integral.