New York Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel was selected as Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for his performance against Toronto FC in Week 19. Angel had a goal and an assist in leading the Red Bulls (9-7-3, 30 pts) to a 3-0 victory over visiting Toronto FC.
Angel opened the scoring in the 24th minute when he pounced on Clint Mathis' driven cross. The Colombian swiftly fired a first-touch shot past Toronto goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopoulos for the eventual game-winner.
Five minutes into the second half, the Red Bulls struck again. Jozy Altidore started a counter attack when he stole the ball near midfield. The 17-year-old Altidore fed Angel, who sent in a dangerous cross that hit a defender and appeared goal-bound when Altidore slammed it home to give the Red Bulls a 2-0 lead.
In the 63rd minute, the Red Bulls put the finishing touches on the victory. Angel, who has established himself as one of the League's finest in the air, flicked on goalkeeper Jon Conway's long, direct ball. Altidore ran onto Angel's header and wrong-footed a defender and Stamatopolous before putting away the third goal.
Angel has proven to be valuable to his club since joining the Red Bulls as a Designated Player earlier this season. He has won Player of the Week and Player of the Month twice each, and was named the Honda Most Valuable Player at the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game. He has scored 10 goals in 13 matches and ranks third among League leaders in goals scored.
Angel's efforts in Week 19 helped the Red Bulls stay among the leaders in the Eastern Conference, as they sit tied on points with D.C. United and six points back of leader New England. Angel and the Red Bulls return to action versus the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, Aug. 18 at Giants Stadium. The game will air on Fox Soccer Channel at 7:30 pm 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 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)
Week 9: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 10: Ben Olsen (D.C. United)
Week 11: Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)
Week 12: Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
Week 13: Nicholas Addlery (D.C. United)
Week 14: Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo)
Week 15: Juan Toja (FC Dallas)
Week 16: Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew)
Week 17: Ante Razov (Chivas USA)
Week 18: Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)
Week 19: Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)
