NEW YORK --
Columbus Crew midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto was voted as Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 3 of the 2008 season. Barros Schelotto scored a goal and tallied two assists as the Crew (2-1-0, 6 points) defeated Chivas USA 4-3 on Saturday night.
The Crew attack combined to set up the first goal in the 25th minute. Robbie Rogers sent a cross in from the wing for Alejandro Moreno who was taken down by Chivas defender Jim Curtin in the penalty area. Barros Schelotto stepped up and struck the ball down the middle beating Brad Guzan as he dove to his right.
In the 35th minute, after Chivas USA had equalized, Moreno played a ball on to a streaking Barros Schelotto. As the defenders closed in, Barros Schelotto cut the ball inside at the top of the box and laid a ball off for Moreno who finished low to the near post.
The Crew struck again after halftime when Barros Schelotto threaded a ball through the Chivas defense to Rogers who touched the ball inside and slipped it past the Guzan to put Columbus up 3-1. Chivas would strike twice to equalize, but the Crew pressed on and Danny O'Rourke hit Rogers on a long pass, which he controlled with his chest before striking it from just outside the penalty box past Guzan for the game winner.
The Crew signed Barros Schelotto in April 2007 and he joined the team after spending more than a decade in Argentina with legendary club Boca Juniors. Last season he tallied five goals and a team high 11 assists. He won the team's Most Valuable Player award and was named to the League's Best XI team. This marks the third MLS Player of the Week award for Barros Schelotto. He won the honor in Weeks 16 and 28 during of the 2007 season. The Crew are back in action on Thursday, April 17, when they travel to face D.C. United at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
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/.
2008 Player of the Week Winners
Week 1: Terry Cooke (Colorado Rapids)
Week 2: David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Week 3: Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew)
