Philadelphia Union Forward Jay Simpson Voted Alcatel MLS Player of the Week
NEW YORK
(Tuesday, September 25, 2018)
– Philadelphia Union forward Jay Simpson was voted the Alcatel Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for the 30
th
week of the 2018 MLS season.
In his first start of the season, Simpson scored a brace to lead Philadelphia to a 2-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City at Talen Energy Stadium on Sunday. The Union have a 6-1-1 record in its previous eight matches and sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings with 46 points (14-12-4 overall record).
With the match scoreless well into the second half, Simpson scored on a tremendous one-time volley to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead in the 71
st
minute. Alejandro Bedoya sent a pass into the middle of the box with a header, where Simpson capitalized with a right-footed strike to beat SKC goalkeeper Tim Melia to the left side of goal (
Watch Goal
).
The Englishman connected with Bedoya yet again in the 89
th
minute to complete his brace and give the Union a 2-0 advantage. Bedoya beat the Kansas City defense with a late run and collected an entry pass with a header directed to Simpson, who then sent a powerful shot from close range into the goal off a Melia deflection (
Watch Goal
).
Philadelphia takes on the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium tomorrow in the U.S. Open Cup Final (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2) before returning to MLS regular season action on Saturday, September 29 to face Columbus Crew SC on the road (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
The Alcatel MLS Player of the Week is chosen each week of the regular season by members of the North American Soccer Reporters. The organization includes print, television, radio and online journalists who cover domestic men's soccer in the United States and Canada. Learn more about the NASR and apply to join at
https://www.facebook.com/soccerreporters/
.
