FC Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Month for September. Cunningham scored seven goals and recorded three assists while leading FC Dallas to a 3-1-1 record during the month.
FC Dallas opened the month with a record of 6-11-5 and sat well out of the playoff picture, but behind Cunningham's inspired play FC Dallas is now 9-12-6 with 33 points and is still alive in the hunt for the MLS Cup Playoffs. Cunningham opened the month with a goal and an assist as FC Dallas secured a 2-2 tie versus FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park on Sept. 5.
Cunningham and FC Dallas erupted in one of the most surprising results of the month when the club defeated the Galaxy 6-3 on Sept. 12 at The Home Depot Center. Cunningham's two goals were his 11th and 12th of the season, and he assisted on goals from Dax McCarty and David Ferreira. For his performance, Cunningham earned Player of the Week honors for Week 26. Cunningham followed that game with a goal in FC Dallas' only loss of the month - 3-2 on the road to the Kansas City Wizards on Sept. 19.
FC Dallas recovered their form versus Real Salt Lake on Sept. 26. With both teams vying to keep their playoff hopes alive, Cunningham and FC Dallas dominated the match. Cunningham scored goals in the 5th and 87th minutes, and Ferreira added the third tally as FC Dallas won 3-0.
FC Dallas met the New England Revolution in the final game of the month, Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas as part of a doubleheader with the Mexican National Team that drew more than 51,000 fans. Cunningham seized the moment with a diving header -- the game's only goal -- that led FC Dallas their second consecutive win and third of the month.
Cunningham's seven goals in September increased his season total to 16, one ahead of Colorado's Conor Casey atop the Budweiser Golden Boot race. His 120 career goals ranks second all-time behind Jaime Moreno (130). Cunningham ranks first all-time in game-winning goals (35). This marks the second career Player of the Month honor for Cunningham. He won the award over New England's Shalrie Joseph and Kansas City's Josh Wolff, who also received votes. His last was in August 2006 as a member of Real Salt Lake. Cunningham and FC Dallas are back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 7 when they travel to play the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Major League Soccer Player of the Month is selected following the last regular season game of each month 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 guidelines can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com/.
2009 MLS Player of the Month Awards
March: Fredy Montero - Seattle Sounders FC
April: Brian McBride - Chicago Fire
May: Conor Casey - Colorado Rapids
June: Guillermo Barros Schelotto - Columbus Crew
July: Landon Donovan - Los Angeles Galaxy
August: Chad Marshall - Columbus Crew
September: Jeff Cunningham - FC Dallas
ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. MLS features many stars from the U.S., Canada, and around the world. MLS kicked off its 14th season on March 19, and will feature 15 teams each playing 30 regular season matches. They include Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Toronto FC and, in its inaugural season, Seattle Sounders FC. The Philadelphia Union will debut in 2010, while expansion teams in Vancouver and Portland will debut in 2011. For more information about MLS, log on to the League's official website at www.MLSnet.com.
