REAL SALT LAKE
FW ÁLVARO SABORÍO NAMED MLS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR WEEK 14
Costa Rican’s Strikes in 52nd & 57th
Blow Game Open in 5-0 Rout of Revs
SANDY, Utah (Monday, July 5, 2010) – Real Salt Lake forward Álvaro Saborío was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 14 of the 2010 MLS season. Saborío earned the distinction for the second time this season after supplying two goals just five minutes apart in Real Salt Lake’s dominating 5-0 victory over the New England Revolution last Friday at Rio Tinto Stadium.
With
Real Salt Lake taking a 2-0 halftime lead on goals by FW Fabian Espíndola
(27’) and DF Jamison Olave (47+’), Saborío struck twice in the early
second half to blow the game open. In the 52nd minute, MF Will
Johnson carried the ball deep into the right corner, playing the ball back
into space for right back Robbie Russell. Russell, already credited with
one assist on the night due to a perfect 50-yard diagonal ball from midfield on
the Espíndola goal, sent a one-time offering into the box, where Saborío beat
the Revolution defense to the ball and chipped it into the top corner.
Just
five minutes later, Saborío added his second goal of the game, the play
starting when midfield maestro Javier Morales delivered a cross once
again from the right side. Saborío joined teammates Olave and Robbie Findley
in the box and deftly collected the ball with his right foot, in one motion
scooping the ball around his body and into the net to give RSL a 4-0 lead.
Saborío
has contributed a team-high seven goals and four assists for Real Salt Lake in
2010, which has won seven and drawn two during the current nine-game unbeaten
run en route to an 8-3-3 record – its best-ever start – and sits tied for
second place in the Western Conference. The 28-year-old Costa Rican
international was named the MLS Player of the Month for May, when his four
goals and three assists helped RSL to a perfect 5-0-0 mark and the team’s
first-ever five-game win streak.
This
marks the 15th Player of the Week honor awarded to a Real Salt Lake
player in the club’s six seasons of play, and the third distinction this
season, following on the heels of Morales’ opening week award and Saborio’s
Week 8 honor for his brace against Houston on May 13. Jeff Cunningham has
earned the honor a franchise-high five times while Saborío joins Morales and
Robbie Findley with two awards each, followed by Pablo Campos, Espíndola, Chris
Klein, and Yura Movsisyan having collecting the award once each.
The
MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel
of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television,
radio and online media. More information and membership information can be
found at http://www.soccerreporters.com.
2010
MLS Player of the Week Winners
Week
1: Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake)
Week
2: Kenny Mansally (New England Revolution)
Week
3: Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union)
Week
4: Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy)
Week
5: Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC)
Week
6: Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy)
Week
7: Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
Week
8: Álvaro Saborío (Real Salt Lake)
Week
9: Emilio Renteria (Columbus Crew)
Week
10: Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC)
Week
11: Brek Shea (FC Dallas)
Week
12: Chris Pontius (D.C. United)
Week
13: Juan Pablo Ángel (New York Red Bulls)
Week
14: Álvaro Saborío (Real Salt Lake)
