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NEW YORK (Monday, September 30, 2019) – Los Angeles Football Club forward Carlos Vela was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for the 30th week of the 2019 MLS season. This is Vela’s fifth Player of the Week honor this season, previously winning the award for his performances in the second, fifth, 18th and 25th week of play.
Vela scored two goals this week, the first in a 3-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday at Banc of California Stadium, and the second in a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United FC at Allianz Field on Sunday. With 31 goals scored, Vela is tied for the MLS single-season goalscoring record, leading the league in goals scored this season while also ranking third with 15 assists. LAFC sits atop the league standings with 69 points (20-4-9 overall record) and has already clinched the 2019 Supporters’ Shield, along with a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The Mexican National Team veteran helped LAFC secure the Supporters’ Shield on Wednesday, giving the club a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute when he converted a penalty kick (watch goal).
Vela then tied Josef Martínez’s goalscoring record with his 31st of the season on Sunday against Minnesota. With the match scoreless well into the second half, Vela gave LAFC a 1-0 lead in the 70th minute when he finished with a left-footed shot from the top of the box (watch goal). Sunday’s performance was the eighth consecutive match with a goal for Vela, the fourth longest streak in MLS history.
LAFC hosts the Colorado Rapids on Sunday in MLS Decision Day presented by AT&T action (4 p.m. ET, ESPN+). With 69 points, LAFC needs a victory to overtake the 2018 New York Red Bulls (71 points) for the most points in MLS history.
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
