Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco was voted MLS Player of the Month for May after registering two goals and four assists in four matches. He led the Fire to a 3-1-0 record in May with all three wins coming on the road.
The Fire sit in second place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 6-2-1 record and 19 points, just one point behind conference leaders New England Revolution (6-3-2, 20 pts). This is the first career Player of the Month award for Blanco and the first Fire Player of the Month winner since former goalkeeper Matt Pickens won the award for October of 2007.
Blanco provided his share of highlights in the month of May. He opened the campaign playing 90 minutes in a 3-0 victory at New England on May 3. In the Fire's second game of the month at D.C. United on May 8, he scored a spectacular goal in the 2-0 road victory that was voted Sierra Mist Goal of the Week for Week 7.
Blanco capped the month with his most impressive game of the year at New York on May 25. He had a hand in all give goals in the Fire's 5-1 victory as he scored once and tallied three assists. His corner kick set up Chicago's fifth goal. That effort earned him MLS Player of the Week honors for Week 9.
The Fire return to MLS action this Saturday, June 7 vs. D.C. United at TOYOTA PARK (7:30 p.m. CT, Fox Soccer Channel). Tickets are still available for that match by calling 888.MLS.FIRE or visiting www.chicago-fire.com.
2008 MLS Player of the Month Awards
April:
Landon Donovan - Los Angeles Galaxy
May:
Cuauhtémoc Blanco - Chicago Fire
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/.
