There were some stunning comebacks and rare displays in Major League Soccer this week, and it’s probably expected by many that Toronto FC’s Michael Bradley and New England’s Jermaine Jones would headline the list of candidates.
And while it’s true that the USMNT engine room mainstays had outstanding games, perhaps a defender or goalkeeper could make a run at the award. Chris Korb provided a crucial assist in his return from injury and fellow DC United back Steve Birnbaum was also instrumental for DC United in their blanking of Philadelphia (Bill Hamid made some nice saves, but also gave up some juicy rebounds and could’ve been beaten).
Steve Clark’s clean sheet for Columbus also deserves mention, but didn’t feature enough saves for our liking (not his fault, and he’s been very good this season).
[ MORE: MLS salaries released | Two years dormant for Chivas USA? ]
The result of the weekend, however, was L.A.'s 4-0 defeat of the New York Red Bulls, and several players deserved Man of the Match honors. Goalkeeper Jaime Penedo was fantastic, keeping L.A. in the game during a first half that only saw one Galaxy goal.
Landon Donovan equaled the MLS assists record while also playing opportunistic ball to make a goal out of a Chris Duvall flub. And Gyasi Zardes continued to impress with his give-and-go-nuts combination with Donovan to produce the game’s third goal.
But, in our opinion, the main reason is the front-runner for the MLS’ player of the year. Robbie Keane is our player of the week, and probably deserves it for his chip goal alone.
Watch all the highlights and decide for yourself:
