Goal of the Matchday

Portland Timbers' Diego Valeri wins AT&T MLS Goal of the Week for Week 22

AT&T Goal of the Week was never in doubt for Diego Valeri.


The Portland star took home the Week 22 honors by a comfortable margin for his fantastic strike in the Timbers’ 3-1 win against the LA Galaxy on Sunday, winning 51 percent of the vote to easily beat runner-up CJ Sapong.


Valeri put the Timbers up 2-1 in the 33rd minute. The Argentine collected a long ball on the left flank, and, taking advantage of space left open after Jermaine Jones failed to intercept the initial pass, cut in on his right foot and smashed a 30-yarder into the top-left corner. Valeri now has 12 goals and eight assists in 22 regular season games this year.


Sapong finished second with 31 percent of the vote. Chicago’s Matt Polster finished third with 10 percent of the final tally, while NYCFC star David Villa and Philadelphia’s Ilsinho rounded out the field with six and three percent of the vote, respectively.


Check out all five nominated strikes and the full results of Goal of the Week voting for Week 22.