Player of the Matchday

Seattle's Clint Dempsey named Player of the Week after brace vs. Portland

Clint Dempsey and the red-hot Seattle Sounders are charging up the standings — and winning honors while they're at it.


Dempsey was voted the MLS Player of the Week for Week 24 by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR), it was announced Tuesday.


It was the first Player of the Week nod this season for Dempsey, who scored two goals to lift Seattle to a massive 3-1 win over the rival Portland Timbers on Sunday night for their third straight victory.


Both goals came in the second half, with Dempsey converting a penalty kick in the 62nd minute before taking a feed from Christian Roldan and beating Portland goalkeeper Jake Gleeson with a strike to the far post in the 80th minute.


Dempsey now has eight goals on the season, and five in the last three games. Seattle travel to Houston on Wednesday (9pm ET; MLS LIVE) before a rematch with Portland on Sunday at Providence Park (5 pm ET, ESPN). The Sounders are just two points behind the Timbers, who currently occupy the sixth and final playoff spot – just above the red line in the Western Conference.


The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.