RSL's Findley named MLS Player of the Week
Forward's two goals Saturday helped Real clinch playoff berth
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Findley, from Phoenix, set a career high this season with 12 goals. He surpassed his 2007 total of eight goals in his rookie season and led the club in scoring for a second time. Real Salt Lake finished the regular season 11-12-7 with 40 points and will face the Columbus Crew on the Eastern Conference bracket in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Findley provided a spark in the 15th minute when he headed a Fabian Espindola cross into the upper-right corner of the net from close range. Stout defending and goalkeeping by RSL's Nick Rimando kept it a one-goal game until Findley found the back of the net again in the 33rd minute. Findley settled a long pass down the field from Andy Williams and popped the ball over Rapids goalkeeper Preston Burpo before sending into an open net to extend the lead. A late goal by Yura Movsisyan sealed the victory.
Findley was drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy with the 16th overall pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. After scoring two goals in nine games with the Galaxy, Findley was traded to Real Salt Lake. In the 72 games since, Findley has scored 24 goals and recorded nine assists. This marks the second Player of the Week award for Findley, who also won the honor in Week 10 of the 2008 season. Real Salt Lake will open the Eastern Conference semifinals at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 6 p.m. ET, in their first game of the home-and-home Eastern Conference semifinal series versus the Columbus Crew.
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)
WEEK 17: Chad Barrett (Toronto FC)
WEEK 18: Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire)
WEEK 19: Yura Movsisyan (Real Salt Lake)
WEEK 20: Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas)
WEEK 21: Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids)
WEEK 22: Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew)
WEEK 23: Kheli Dube (New England Revolution)
WEEK 24: Pablo Campos (Real Salt Lake)
WEEK 25: Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards)
WEEK 26: Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas)
WEEK 27: Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
WEEK 28: Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution)
WEEK 29: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
WEEK 30: Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas)
WEEK 31: Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders FC)
WEEK 32: Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)
ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. MLS features many stars from the U.S., Canada, and around the world. MLS kicked off its 14th season on March 19, and will feature 15 teams each playing 30 regular season matches. They include Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Toronto FC and, in its inaugural season, Seattle Sounders FC. The Philadelphia Union will debut in 2010, while expansion teams in Vancouver and Portland will debut in 2011. For more information about MLS, log on to the League's official website at www.MLSnet.com.
