Castrol Index Weekly Top 20: Joao Plata kicks off 2014 with the biggest performance in Week 1

There was only one goal in the fiercely contested LA Galaxy-Real Salt Lake clash last weekend, but the game did feature the top performance of the week, at least according to the Castrol Index.

RSL forward Joao Plata, who scored the winning goal for the visitors Saturday, leads the first Weekly Top 20 rankings of the 2014 season. And somewhat surprisingly, he put considerable distance between himself and the runner-up in the rankings, Houston Dynamo's double-goalscorerWill Bruin,

Plata was not the only player from the Galaxy-RSL match to make the Top 20, as Nick Rimando (No. 3) stopped yet another late-game penalty kick to preserve the points for RSL, while Robbie Keane (No. 20) represented the Galaxy in the losing effort.

Forwards won out in Week 1, as four of the top five, and nine of the top 20, played up top. Rounding out the top five this week were Portland Timbers striker Gastón Fernández (No. 4), whose goal on the last kick of the game gave his team a point against the Philadelphia Union, and Andrew Wenger (No. 5), who notched a goal for his Montreal Impact side in a loss against FC Dallas.

See how players collect points in the Castrol methodology.

Castrol Index Week 1 Top 20 Performers