NEW YORK (Monday, May 24, 2021) – Columbus Crew midfielder Lucas Zelarayán has been voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2021 MLS season.
Zelarayán scored two goals – both coming from direct free kicks – leading the Crew to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory against New York City FC at Red Bull Arena on Saturday evening.
Zelarayán became the sixth player in Major League Soccer history to score two goals from direct free kicks in the same game (since records are available from the 2003 season). The Most Valuable Player in the 2020 MLS Cup and 2020 MLS Newcomer of the Year, Zelarayán was named MLS Player of the Week for the first time in his two seasons in the league.
On Saturday, with the Crew down by a goal in the 82nd minute, Zelarayán stepped over a free kick about 29 yards out from the right goalpost. He hammered an absolute thunderbolt over the two-man wall and into the roof of the goal, leaving NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson rooted to his line as the ball sailed into the net.
Then in added time, Zelarayán stood over the ball just outside the edge of the penalty area on the left. He whipped the ball over the four-man wall, curling it inside the near post past the ‘keeper’s despairing dive and into the net for the match-winner. It was the seventh time in league annals a game-winning goal came from a direct free kick in stoppage time.
The goals were the third and fourth directly from free kicks in Zelarayán’s MLS career. He has three this year, including one May 8 vs. D.C. United, becoming the 12th player in league history to score at least three goals directly from free kicks in a single season.
The Crew return to action on Saturday afternoon when they meet Toronto FC at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus at 3 p.m. ET (TSN / CTV; ESPN+)
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
