NEW YORK (April 14, 2004) - A 68th minute left-footed strike by D.C. United forward Ronald Cerritos in his team's 1-1 road tie against the Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center was recognized by fans as the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week for the week ending April 10, 2004 (Week 2). Cerritos scored in his first appearance of 2004, just one minute after entering the match as a substitute for teammate Jaime Moreno. D.C. United players have captured the first two Goal of the Week awards of the season with Alecko Eskandarian capturing the fan vote after the opening weekend.
The weekly winner is determined among a selection of finalists through
a fan vote conducted on the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week section of MLSnet.com
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Watch the goal:
The 29-year-old MLS veteran (52 percent) narrowly beat Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz (48 percent) by four percentage points in this week’s balloting. The two goals were the only ones scored on an Easter weekend Soccer Saturday schedule that featured just two games. The other match on Saturday afternoon between the San Jose Earthquakes and Chicago Fire ended in a scoreless tie.
The entrance of Cerritos for Moreno in the 67th minute provided immediate results for D.C. United in their first road match of the campaign. Barely a minute after entering the match Cerritos finished an impressive combination of passes by United to open the scoring. A cross by midfielder Earnie Stewart from the right side found a wide open Joshua Gros on the left side of the Galaxy penalty area. The United rookie deflected the ball toward the center of the box where Cerritos fired it first-time into the top right corner of the goal. The Galaxy’s Ruiz later netted the equalizer in the 85th minute as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Saturday’s goal marked the 64th career MLS goal for Cerritos, who is currently playing in his eighth season. He is ranked seventh all-time in goals scored, eight behind Moreno, who stands in sixth place, and 24 behind Roy Lassiter, who holds the all-time lead (88 goals). The three-time MLS All-Star (1997, 1999, 2001) moved to D.C. United in an Aug. 19, 2003 trade with the Dallas Burn. Cerritos started every one of the 10 regular season matches he played for United in 2003, notching a goal and an assist.
Streaming video highlights of MLS games are available for viewing every weekend just hours after the conclusion of the final match of the weekend. The Sierra Mist Goal of the Week winner is announced the following Wednesday.
At the end of the regular season, each of the 29 Goal of the Week winners selected throughout the season will be featured in voting for the Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Year, an award presented annually to the author of the season's most spectacular scoring play. The Sierra Mist Goal of the Year award will be presented at the annual Gala Awards ceremony in the days leading up to MLS Cup 2004.
2004 SIERRA MIST GOAL OF THE WEEK WINNERS:
Week 1: Alecko Eskandarian
(D.C. United)
Week 2: Ronald Cerritos
(D.C. United)
