Soccer By Ives

SBI MLS Player of the Week: Justin Braun

In one of the easier awards to select, Chivas USA's Justin Braun earned SBI's MLS Player of the Week honors after scoring a hat-trick in the Goats' 3-2 victory against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Sunday.

Braun beat out a strong field that included Landon Donovan and Fabian Castillo among others.

Having recently lost his starting job to Marcos Mondaini, Braun took full advantage of the opportunity created by Mondaini's red card suspension to shred New York's normally stingy defense for three goals, as many goals as the Red Bulls had allowed all season before Sunday.

If you missed Braun's goal-fest, here they are: goals one, two and three.

What did you think of Braun's performance? Who would have gotten your vote if not for Braun?

Share your thoughts below.

SBI MLS Best XI: Week 4

 

 

When selecting this week's SBI MLS Best XI, one spot was easy to fill. David Ferreira was Player of the Week by a good margin, leaving ten other spots up for grabs and a boatload of worthy candidates for those positions.

Ferreira wasn't alone among FC Dallas players to make this week's squad, with Ugo Ihemelu being honored for helping shut down a normally dangerous Colorado Rapids attack.

Seattle is also well-represented this week, with three players chosen for the squad, including veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who reminded us that he can still deliver when called upon.

 Real Salt Lake also has multiple players included, but not the usual suspects. RSL showed off its depth in a comprehensive 2-0 win at New England, and Collen Warner helped lead the way.

Here is this week's SBI MLS Best XI:

SBI MLS Rookie of the Week: Will Bruin

In one of the tighter races to date, Houston Dynamo striker Will Bruin edged out D.C. United defender Ethan White for this week's SBI MLS Rookie of the Week honors.

Bruin opened his professional scoring account on Sunday, delivering a beautiful finish after racing onto a Brad Davis pass and beating Jay Nolly to the ball before slotting him Houston's third goal in a 3-1 win against Vancouver.

Bruin's goal and overall strong performance helped him edge out D.C. United defender Ethan White, who's professional debut saw him go 90 minutes and play impressively against Juan Pablo Angel and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Who got your vote for MLS Rookie of the Week this week?

Share your thoughts below.

SBI MLS Player of the Week: David Ferreira

 

Reigning MLS MVP David Ferreira needed a few games to get going, but he finally flashed the form that won him league honors in 2010 by scoring two goals in FC Dallas' first win of the season last Friday. His performance in the 3-0 win against the Colorado Rapids earned Ferreira SBI MLS Player of the Week honors.

There were some worthy candidates for the honors this week, including Real Salt Lake midfielder Collen Warner, Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham and Seattle Sounders striker O'Brian White to name a few, but Ferreira's performance stood out from the rest.

You can see Ferreira's goals here and here.

What did you think of Ferreira's performance? Did he get your Player of the Week vote? Who do you think deserved the honors this week?

Share your thoughts below.

 

MLS Ticker: Camilo wins Player of the Week, Fire signs tryout winner and more

Camilo's late-game heroics against Sporting Kansas City can now be called award-winning heroics.

The Vancouver Whitecaps' 22-year-old Brazilian striker was named Major League Soccer's Player of the Week after his goals in the second and third minutes of stoppage time helped his team earn an improbable 3-3 draw with SKC on Saturday.

Camilo finished off feeds from second-half substitutes Davide Chiumiento and Nizar Khalfan. His goals completed Vancouver's stunning comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the final 17-plus minutes of the match at Empire Field. Camilo bested the likes of standouts Teal Bunbury, Tally Hall and Caleb Folan to take home the league's weekly honor.

Here are a few more items from around the league:

SBI MLS Player of the Week: Javier Morales

In a week when there were once again a handful of worthy contenders, Real Salt Lake playmaker Javier Morales emerged as the clear-cut choice to win this week's SBI MLS Player of the Week.

Morales edged out San Jose's Chris Wondolowski and Toronto FC's Javier Martina and New England's Shalrie Joseph for the award after his two-goal performance helped Real Salt Lake dismantle the Los Angeles Galaxy 4-1.

Who do you think deserved MLS Player of the Week this week? Did Morales get your vote, or would you have chosen someone different?

Share your thoughts below.

SBI MLS Player of the Week: Juninho

In one of the easier selections we'll have to make, Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Juninho was chosen as SBI's MLS Player of the Week for Week 1 of the MLS season.

Juninho was the easy choice after scoring a pair of goals to help the Galaxy post a season-opening 1-0 win against Seattle and a 1-1 tie against New England. He delivered a pair of long-range blasts to keep the Galaxy unbeaten despite opening the season without starting goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and defender Omar Gonzalez.

Juninho had the advantage of playing in two games this week, which gave him an edge over some other worthy candidates for the honors, including Vancouver's Eric Hassli, Sporting Kansas City's Omar Bravo and New York's Juan Agudelo to name a few.

What did you think of Juninho's performances this week? Who got your vote for Player of the Week this week?