Cunningham wins Player of the Week

FC Dallas forward takes award for record 10th time

Major League Soccer Communications

Jeff Cunningham helped FCD to a win this week, netting career goals Nos. 106 and 107. (Getty Images)

NEW YORK -- FC Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 16 of the 2009 season. Cunningham added to his impressive goal-scoring resume with his 106th and 107th all-time MLS regular season goals, as he led FC Dallas to a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, July 4.

Cunningham put FC Dallas on the board in the 15th minute when he intercepted an errant back pass from Red Bulls midfielder Luke Sassano. He dribbled into the penalty area, cut sharply to his left and by a Red Bulls defender, and slotted a left-footed shot into the corner of the goal past Red Bulls goalkeeper Danny Cepero.

It took only two minutes for Cunningham to double the lead, when he got on the end of a Dave van den Bergh cross. van den Bergh dribbled down the right flank, cut back and sent in a high, looping cross to the back post. Cunningham snuck in behind the defense and finished with a volley from close range.

The Red Bulls pulled a goal back in the 43rd minute when Juan Pablo Angel finished a Danleigh Borman cross, but it was not enough as Cunningham's two goals stood up to give FC Dallas their fourth win of the season. The game-winning goal was the 31st of his 12-year MLS career, which ranks tied for second with Jason Kreis and only two behind Ante Razov's 33 career game winners.

Cunningham showed the skill and goal-scoring prowess that put him in the top four of the League's all-time goal scoring chart with 107 goals, only one behind Kreis who sits in third place with 108. Jaime Moreno (127) and Razov (114) occupy the top two spots. With the two goals last week, Cunningham now has 17 career multi-goal games, which ranks tied for third all-time with Kreis and Moreno. Razov (22) and Landon Donovan (21) rank one and two in career multi-goal games.

The Jamaican-born Cunningham has had a tremendous career in MLS, which dates back to 1998 - the year he was drafted ninth overall by the Columbus Crew. He scored 62 goals in seven seasons in Columbus. In 2005 he left Columbus for Colorado, and then became a member of Real Salt Lake in 2006 where he scored 16 goals in his first season and was an MLS MVP Finalist.

This is Cunningham's 10th MLS Player of the Week award, which surpasses three other players for most all-time in MLS - Cobi Jones, Razov and Donovan have each been named Player of the Week nine times. Cunningham and FC Dallas will travel to Colorado for a Western Conference tilt versus the Rapids on Saturday, July 11 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected each week of the MLS regular season 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 information can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com.

2009 MLS Player of the Week Winners

WEEK 1: Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders FC)
WEEK 2: Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC)
WEEK 3: Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids)
WEEK 4: Donovan Ricketts (Los Angeles Galaxy)
WEEK 5: Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards)
WEEK 6: Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake)
WEEK 7: Jaime Moreno (D.C. United)
WEEK 8: Macoumba Kandji (New York Red Bulls)
WEEK 9: Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards)
WEEK 10: Amado Guevara (Toronto FC)
WEEK 11: Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids)
WEEK 12: Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
WEEK 13: Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew)
WEEK 14: Omar Cummings (Colorado Rapids)
WEEK 15: Nate Jaqua (Seattle Sounders FC)
WEEK 16: Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas)