Chivas USA forward Matt Taylor was selected as the Honda MLS Player of the Week for Week 15 which ended on Sunday, July 10. The second year player had a hand in all five goals for Chivas USA in their 5-1 home win over fellow expansion team Real Salt Lake on Saturday night in The Home Depot Center. Taylor, who scored once and tallied two assists on the night, is the first player from either of the 2005 expansion teams to win the weekly award.
Taylor helped Chivas get on the board only four minutes into the game. After collecting a clearance near the top of the area, Taylor took the ball to the left side and sent in a cross that was accidentally deflected in by RSL defender Brian Kamler for the own goal. Twelve minutes later, Taylor again was involved in a goal scoring opportunity, when he sent Thiago Martins a ball into the area. Martins was dragged down for a penalty kick which Hector Cuadros converted for the two-goal lead.
The second half was similar to the first for Taylor, who helped Chivas put the game out of reach by assisting and scoring two minutes apart. In the 53rd minute, Taylor took the ball from the right side and carried it to the top of the box. With the defense closing in, he moved the ball to the left for a wide-open Antonio Martinez who ripped the ball past RSL keeper D.J. Countess. Two minutes later, Taylor took a pass from Martinez to tally his second goal of the campaign.
In the 83rd minute, Taylor dished off his second assist of the night, chest trapping a ball in the box before finding Isaac Romo alone in the center of the box to score the final goal.
Taylor was the clear winner for the week, with MetroStars' midfielder Amado Guevara and San Jose Earthquakes' forward Ronald Cerritos also receiving votes. The Honda Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected every week throughout the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from the Professional Soccer Reporters Association (PSRA)
2005 PLAYER OF THE WEEK WINNERS
Week 1: Edson Buddle (Columbus Crew)
Week 2: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Week 3: Jon Busch (Columbus Crew)
Week 4: Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution)
Week 5: Amado Guevara (MetroStars)
Week 6: Freddy Adu (D.C. United)
Week 7: Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards)
Week 8: Ronnie O'Brien (FC Dallas)
Week 9: Carlos Ruiz (FC Dallas)
Week 10: Nate Jaqua (Chicago Fire)
Week 11: Zach Wells (MetroStars)
Week 12: Jeff Cunningham (Colorado Rapids)
Week 13: Pat Noonan (New England Revolution)
Week 14: Joe Cannon (Colorado Rapids)
Week 15: Matt Taylor (Chivas USA)
