NEW YORK - Kansas City Wizards forward Eddie Johnson was selected Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for his performance in the Wizards 4-3 road-victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday, May 26. Johnson scored the first hat-trick of the 2007 MLS season and helped his team come from behind to record the victory. The Wizards (5-2-1, 16 pts) sit only one point behind the Eastern Conference leading New York Red Bulls and Revolution.
Johnson scored the first of his three goals in the 26th minute with the Wizards down 2-1. He took long pass from Jack Jewsbury and dribbled by Revolution defender Jay Heaps before burying a low, hard shot into the left corner of the goal. Johnson put the Wizards ahead in the 38th minute when he took a pass from Davy Arnaud and dribbled through the Revolution defense to the middle of the penalty area where he fired a shot pass goalkeeper Matt Reis.
A Shalrie Joseph penalty kick in the 69th minute tied the score at 3-3, but Johnson's third goal would be the clincher. This time Johnson took a long through ball from Carlos Marinelli, dribbled by Reis and hit a left-footed shot into the empty net for the game winner. Johnson leads MLS with four game-winning goals this season.
The 23-year old Johnson, a seven-year MLS veteran, is enjoying a strong season. He has scored six goals and tallied three assists in 2007, after notching only two goals and one assist in 2006. This is his second Player of the Week award this season. He won the award in Week 2 and was also named MLS Player of the Month for April. The Wizards are back in action at home on Saturday, June 2 at 8 p.m. ET versus the Eastern Conference leading New York Red Bulls.
The Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected each week of the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from the Professional Soccer Reporters Association (PSRA).
2007 Player of the Week Winners
Week 1: Jeff Cunningham (Real Salt Lake)
Week 2: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 3: Maykel Galindo (Chivas USA)
Week 4: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Week 5: Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo)
Week 6: Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
Week 7: Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)
Week 8: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)
