MLS Team of the Week for Matches from October 10-12
In a week full of player absences and matches with massive playoff implications, a few unexpected stars rose to the occasion for their respective clubs in Major League Soccer.
From a three-goal comeback by Columbus to a young player starring for Real Salt Lake, the top players from Week 31 came in all different shapes and sizes.
Add in a few top showings from league veterans and you have the latest MLS Team of the Week, which is shaped in a 4-5-1 formation.
GK: Andy Gruenebaum, Sporting KC
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Andy Gruenebaum turned in a solid night between the pipes to keep a clean sheet for Sporting Kansas City.
In KC's 2-0 win over Chicago, Gruenebaum made six saves in his third consecutive shutout for the third-place team in the Eastern Conference.
The most noteable of the six denials came in the 21st minute, when he scurried back into position to make an acrobatic save on Matt Watson.
RB: Hector Jimenez, Columbus
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Hector Jimenez's 70th-minute cross from the right wing kick-started the three-goal comeback by the Columbus Crew at PPL Park Saturday night.
Jimenez's pass connected with Ethan Finlay, who netted the first of three goals scored in four minutes during the 3-2 victory.
The assist was the fifth of the season for Jimenez, who also made six interceptions on defense in the crucial win for the Crew.
CB: Matt Besler, Sporting KC
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The defensive rock of the Sporting Kansas City back four stood tall in the victory over Chicago at Sporting Park.
Matt Besler made 10 clearances, eight interceptions and two tackles in the club's 14th victory of the season.
The performance was a good sign for Besler, who had experienced his fair share of struggles in recent weeks.
CB: Kendall Waston, Vancouver
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The play of Kendall Waston at center-back helped restrict the Seattle attack to just two shots on goal in Vancouver's surprising 1-0 victory at CenturyLink Field.
The massive Costa Rican defender made 18 clearances, six tackles and four interceptions against the top team in the league.
Waston's defensive dominance gave the Whitecaps some breathing room in the race for fifth place in the Western Conference, and it earned the club their second straight Cascadia Cup.
LB: Taylor Kemp, D.C.
5 of 12Taylor Kemp was the beneficiary of a rebound when he scored the opening goal in the 41st minute of D.C. United's 3-1 road win over Houston.
Kemp struck his first goal for D.C. from the left side of the box after Tyler Deric slid in to deny Chris Pontius.
The 24-year-old chipped in on the defensive side of the ball with three interceptions and two clearances for the Eastern Conference leaders.
RM: Andres Escobar, FC Dallas
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Andres Escobar played a role in both FC Dallas goals in the 2-1 shock win over LA Galaxy at Toyota Stadium.
In the 52nd minute, Escobar played a ball through to David Texeira to level the scores.
In the build-up to Fabian Castillo's 87th-minute game-winning goal, Escobar fired a shot that was saved by Jaime Penedo.
Penedo deflected the ball into the middle of the box, where Castillo was on hand to head in the game-winning goal.
CM: Benny Feilhaber, Sporting KC
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It's going to take something catastrophic to keep Benny Feilhaber off the United States men's national team roster in the offseason.
The veteran midfielder once again delivered a terrific performance in the middle of the park for the defending MLS Cup champions.
His biggest contribution came in the 10th minute, when he drew a penalty, but he also contributed six interceptions and four key passes in the victory over Chicago.
CM: Ricardo Clark, Houston
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Despite putting in one of his best performances of the season, Ricardo Clark could not keep Houston in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Clark took four shots, made three key passes and led the Dynamo in touches (64) in the defeat at home to D.C. United.
The central midfielder, who made six tackles in the loss, had a golden opportunity to score in the 70th minute, but his shot from just outside the box nailed the woodwork.
LM: Justin Meram, Columbus
9 of 12Crafty footwork helped Justin Meram net his eighth goal of the season in the 79th minute of Columbus' come-from-behind win against Philadelphia Union on Sunday.
Meram danced around the Philadelphia defense to level a match the Crew looked to be out of just minutes earlier.
Twenty minutes before he beat Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath, Meram saw a shot strike the top of the woodwork.
CAM: Sebastian Velasquez, Real Salt Lake
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It's not easy filling in for Javier Morales, but Sebastian Velasquez made it look that way in Real Salt Lake's 2-0 win over San Jose.
The highlight of the night for the 23-year-old came in the 28th minute, when he scored his first career goal to put the Claret and Cobalt up by two.
Velasquez pulled the strings in attack, just like Morales usually does in the attacking-midfield position, and he contributed five key passes in front of the crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium.
FW: Marco Di Vaio, Montreal
11 of 12We haven't heard much from Marco Di Vaio in 2014, but he made us aware of his presence Saturday with a brace against New England.
In the 12th minute, Di Vaio struck his seventh goal of the season into the back of the net after connecting with a pass from Callum Mallace.
Twenty-seven minutes later, Di Vaio turned past Jose Goncalves before knocking in his second goal of the match.
The brace was the first for the Italian since he scored two against the Revolution on September 8, 2013.
Bench
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GK: Dan Kennedy (Chivas USA)
RB: Sean Franklin (D.C.)
RM: Stefan Ishizaki (LA)
RM: Danny Cruz (Philadelphia)
LM: Graham Zusi (Sporting KC)
LM: Kekuta Manneh (Vancouver)
FW: Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York)
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com.
