REAL SALT LAKE
MF JAVIER MORALES NAMED MLS PLAYER OF
THE WEEK FOR WEEK 20
Pair of Goals in Dominating Performance v. Crew Earns
All-Star His Second Weekly Honor of 2010 Season
SANDY,
Utah / NEW YORK
(Monday, August 16, 2010) – Real Salt Lake midfielder Javier Morales was
today voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North
American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 20 of the 2010 MLS season.
Morales led Real Salt Lake to a 2-0 victory, scoring both goals and controlling
play throughout his 63-minute performance against the Columbus Crew last
Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium. Morales also put in an energetic 90-minute
effort in a midweek match last Wednesday at Philadelphia Union, helping RSL
gain a road point from a 1-1 draw in its first-ever contest at PPL Park.
Morales gave
Real Salt Lake an early lead on Saturday night, as he finished on a beautiful
shot in the 11th minute. After working a short corner with
fellow Argentine Fabian Espíndola, Morales drifted towards the upper left
corner of the 18-yard box, received the ball from Espindola and blasted a shot
toward the far post. The ball ricocheted off the right post and into the
net past the outstretched arms of Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer for the first
goal of the game.
After pushing
the play and pulling the strings of RSL’s high-flying attack in search for a second
goal, Morales struck again in the 60th minute off another dead ball
chance. The midfielder stepped up to take a free kick opportunity on the
edge of the arc and sent his shot through the Crew wall and past Hesmer to record the final
goal in the 2-0 victory for the defending champs. The win stretched Real Salt Lake’s
home unbeaten streak in MLS play to 21 games (14-0-7), the current run now just
one behind Columbus’ League record of 22 set across the 2008-09 seasons.
This is
Morales’ third career Player of the Week award and second of this season. The
2010 MLS All-Star First XI choice earned the honor during the first week of
this season, courtesy of another scintillating two-goal effort in a 3-0 win at
San Jose, and also in Week 6 (April 22-26) of last season.
This marks
the 16th Player of the Week honor awarded to a Real Salt Lake player
in the club’s six seasons of play, and the fourth distinction of 2010, Morales’
two honors joining FW Álvaro Saborío’s pair of weekly plaudits in Weeks
8 and 14. Jeff Cunningham has earned the honor a franchise-high five
times, while Morales’ Week 20 honor gives him three. Saborío and Robbie
Findley have collected two awards each, while Pablo Campos, Fabian
Espíndola, Chris Klein, and Yura Movsisyan have each
collected the award once.
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)
Week 15:
Justin Braun (Chivas USA)
Week 16:
Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union)
Week 17:
Steve Zakuani (Seattle Sounders)
Week 18: Juan
Pablo Ángel (New York Red Bulls)
Week 19: Jeff
Cunningham (FC Dallas)
Week 20:
Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake)
www.RealSaltLake.com / www.RSLstadium.com / www.RSLtotheCore.com / www.ESPN700Sports.com
