HERRIMAN, Utah (Monday, November 8, 2021) – Real Salt Lake midfielder Damir Kreilach has been named the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 35 following his heroic stoppage-time goal that sent RSL into the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs on November 7.
This marks Kreilach’s second Player of the Week honor this season having been previously selected in Week 12 after a two-goal performance against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He is now just one of eight players in MLS to receive the honor on multiple occasions in 2021. This also marks his third Player of the Week nod since joining RSL in 2018.
On Decision Day, it took until second half stoppage time for RSL to find the winner through Kreilach who volleyed home an audacious bicycle attempt from Justin Meram near the top of the six-yard box in the 95th minute. The goal was the 16th of the season for Kreilach, tying him for fifth place for the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi, and his eighth goal over the final 12 games of the season.
Kreilach and Albert Rusnák finished tied for first among tandems in MLS this season in combined goals and assists with 47 through 34 matches. Kreilach finished the season with 16 goals and 9 assists while Rusnák finished with 11 goals and 11 assists. The two are tied with Sporting Kansas City’s Daniel Salloi and Johnny Russell atop the combined goals and assists charts. Kreilach finished third in combined goals and assists (25) behind NYCFC’s ValentÃn Castellanos (27) and Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (28).
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
Additionally, RSL’s Andrew Brody was named to this week’s Team of the Week for his performance against Sporting Kansas City on November 7.
Finishing in the 7th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake will now face Seattle Sounders FC in the first round of the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs. The date and time of the Club’s first round clash will be announced in the near future.
