McBride voted MLS Player of the Month for April
Fire forward scored four goals, led Chicago to unbeaten mark in month
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- Player of the Month: Brian McBride
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- Brian McBride player profile
The 36-year-old MLS All-Time Best XI forward has made an immediate impact in his first full season with the Chicago Fire. McBride leads the League with five goals and the Chicago Fire sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with 10 points and a 2-0-4 record.
In the Fire's Week 4 match against the San Jose Earthquakes McBride captured MLS Goal of the Week honors for his 57th minute strike. In receiving a Cuauhtémoc Blanco headed pass at the top of the penalty area, McBride deftly flicked the ball across his body, spun and fired a low drive past San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon. The Fire tied the Quakes 3-3 on the road.
The following week McBride tallied his third and fourth goals of the season, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes of the 2-2 draw with the Kansas City Wizards. McBride capped off the month by leading a stirring comeback against the defending MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew. Trailing 2-0 in Columbus, McBride ignited the Fire's comeback in the 86th minute finishing a Patrick Nyarko cross with a leaping, driven header into the back of the net. The goal garnered McBride his second MLS Goal of the Week nomination. The Fire went on to tie the Crew 2-2 in McBride's third game against the club that drafted him number one overall in the inaugural MLS Draft in 1996.
McBride, a Chicago-area native, has scored 10 goals in 17 appearances since returning to Major League Soccer with the Chicago Fire during the late half of the 2008 season. In his previous stint in the League, seven seasons with the Columbus Crew, McBride established himself as one of the premier forwards in League history. In nine MLS seasons he has scored 72 goals, four behind Preki who is 10th among the League's career scoring leaders. McBride left MLS for Fulham FC of the English Premier League in 2004. He led the Cottagers in scoring during the 2006-2007 season and was named the club's Player of the Year. He appeared in three FIFA World Cups with the United States men's national team. This marks McBride's first MLS Player of the Month award.
The Major League Soccer Player of the Month is selected following the last regular season game of each month by a panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR). The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership guidelines can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com/.
2009 MLS Player of the Month Awards
March: Fredy Montero - Seattle Sounders FCApril: Brian McBride - Chicago Fire
