NEW YORK - Columbus Crew midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto was selected as Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for his two-goal performance against Toronto FC in Week 16. On Sunday, July 22, Schelotto scored twice to lead Columbus to their fifth win in seven matches. The win moved the Crew (6-5-7, 25 pts) within striking distance of the Eastern Conference lead.
After a scoreless first half, Columbus finally broke down a stingy Toronto defense five minutes after the restart. A series of one-touch passes in the middle of the field led to Ned Grabavoy collecting the ball and releasing Frankie Hejduk down the right wing. Hejduk, the Crew captain, sent a lofted cross into the middle of the area where Schelotto calmly put the ball in the net with a right-footed volley. In the 56th minute, Schelotto doubled the Crew's lead with a sublime dipping free kick that beat Toronto keeper Srdjan Djekanovic inside the left post.
A native of Buenos Aires, Schelotto spent 11 years at Argentine giants Boca Juniors, establishing himself as one of the most talented midfielders in all of South America. In 196 games for the storied club, he scored 60 times and helped the team to 16 trophies. His reputation as a midfield maestro made him a crowd favorite, and helped him earn 10 caps with the Argentine national team.
Since signing with Columbus in mid-April, Schelotto has turned the Crew into Eastern Conference contenders. He has established himself as a multi-faceted offensive weapon for the Crew tallying four goals and seven assists, both team highs. The Crew is now one of the hottest teams in the League, after a slow start that saw only one win in their first 10 League contests. They have lost only once in their last eight games and have rapidly climbed the leaderboard where the team sits just two points behind the New England Revolution and New York Red Bulls. The Crew return to action July 28 when they meet English Premier League club Aston Villa in a friendly match at Crew Stadium.
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
