Robbie Keane’s Saturday performance won the league’s Player of the Week honor, with his two second half goals (and a hockey assist) leading the Galaxy to a 3-1 win over visiting Portland. But one of the goals was from the spot, via a penalty he didn’t earn, and while his other goal showed great awareness to get ball-side of Will Johnson, Landon Donovan may have made the bigger play on the score. Keane’s stats make him an easy choice, but the details leave the door open.
For example, consider Dax McCarty, who was a part of two positive results this week, and while he didn’t stand out in the team’s mid-week, 1-1 draw at Real Salt Lake, he did complete 89 percent of his passes, helping his team to a valuable point on the road.
On Saturday, McCarty’s influence was much more dramatic, especially after New York saw starting center back Matt Miazga sent off before half against New England. Down a goal and a man, McCarty responded quickly, with his 47th minute chip over Bobby Shuttleworth (above) bringing the Red Bulls even. Making up for the man New York lost, McCarty was the game’s dominant player over the next 40 minutes, helping the Red Bulls take control despite their disadvantage.
When Bradley Wright-Phillips scored just after the hour, McCarty and his teammates had their reward. Thanks in large part to the midfielder’s efforts, the 10-man Red Bulls were able to take full points, jumping back into the East’s top five with their 2-1 result.
On an individual level, it was performance that put McCarty into Player of the Week consideration, and after digging deeper beneath the more stats-driven cases, New York’s anchor took our honor. He is PST’s Major League Soccer Player of the Week.
