Whichever way this one went, someone was going to feel hard done.
Alan Gordon certainly had a compelling case as Major League Soccer’s Player of the Week for Round 18. He did his part and then some in the Earthquakes’ splashy comeback win Saturday, rallying for three unanswered goals before a near-capacity Stanford Stadium in a memorable 3-2 win.
Gordon’s goal in the 68th minute and his stoppage time game-winner were good enough to earn the U.S. international this week’s MLS honors, the first by a ‘Quakes’ man in 2012.
But could anyone have pounded fists on unsuspecting desks if Sporting Kansas City’s Kei Kamara had been named? He was also a two-goal scorer. And just like Gordon’s strikes, they were needed and necessary, both.
Kamara’s first goal was pure class, two wonderful touches that were probably more difficult than he made them look, running at top speed as he was. (In our MLS Week in Review, we called it the week’s best goal.)
Kamara’s second strike, the game-winner in a 3-2 victory over visiting Columbus, was a little more difficult than it looked, too. The strike itself was fairly basic stuff, but the timing mattered. Watch below as Kamara begins to hit a hurried shot – then wisely recognizes that he’s got time to line up the target and ensure solid contact, which is exactly what he get while pulling Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum slightly out of position.
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