Los Angeles Galaxy forward Alejandro Moreno has been voted MLS Player of the Month for May. Moreno scored five goals and added two assists in May, and his 12 points out-paced all scorers in Major League Soccer for the month.
He joins fellow Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz as the first two players to earn MLS Player of the Month honors thus far in 2004. Moreno's honor comes after Ruiz won the award with a five-goal, two-assist performance of his own in April.
"This is certainly a special honor for Alejandro," said Galaxy President and General Manager Doug Hamilton." In his three years with the Galaxy, he has proven to be a great asset to our club. This honor is well-earned and deserved given the numbers he produced, which led to a successful month for the club."
The third-year professional's high-scoring month began when he scored a goal late in second-half stoppage time in the Galaxy's first game of May, a 2-1 loss at the New England Revolution on May 1 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
The young Venezuelan added his second marker when called upon to enter a May 15 game against Colorado Rapids midway through the first half for an injured Carlos Ruiz. After the team played to a scoreless draw in the first 45 minutes, he scored the team's lone goal in the second half in a 1-1 tie at The Home Depot Center.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Moreno broke out in a big way on May 19 against D.C. United at RFK Stadium. Making his first start of 2004, he registered a natural hat trick within eight minutes to give the Galaxy a 3-0 lead late in the first half. Not only did the hat trick tie a Galaxy club record for goals in a game, but Moreno's three tallies gave him goals on five consecutive shots to start the season, an MLS mark. Moreno also added an assist before the interval on Joseph Ngwenya's goal before the halftime interval to pace the Galaxy's 4-2 win.
"It is a deserved achievement for a player who brings as much consistency and hard work to the game as Alejandro does," said Galaxy Head Coach Sigi Schmid. "His performance in May demonstrated how that approach can yield positive results."
After not scoring in the Galaxy's 4-2 loss at San Jose on May 22, Moreno capped the best month of his career with an assist on Sasha Victorine's goal in the ninth minute of a 4-1 win against the Dallas Burn on May 29 at The Home Depot Center. In all, the Galaxy finished with a 3-2-1 record in May and currently sit atop all of MLS with a 5-2-3 record and 18 points.
"It is exciting to be named MLS Player of the Month; it shows that both I and the club have been doing well," Moreno said. "We have been getting results recently and hopefully we will continue to do so."
The Los Angeles Galaxy are pleased to announce that the historic doubleheader on Saturday, June 5 will be the next chance this season for fans to purchase a Los Angeles Times Galaxy Family Pack. For as a little as $52, a family of four gets four match tickets, four hot dogs, four sodas and a Los Angeles Times newspaper. To take advantage of this offer and to be a part of this historic evening of soccer, please call the Galaxy ticket office at 1-877-3GALAXY.
