MLS Team of the Week: Robbie Keane Sparks the Galaxy to Victory in Week 18
The holiday weekend in Major League Soccer witnessed some offensive fireworks from a few players who are used to making their mark on the big stage.
Robbie Keane turned in the best performance of Week 18, scoring three of the LA Galaxy's four goals against Toronto FC on the same night Steven Gerrard was introduced to the Galaxy faithful.
A few hours before Keane took the title of player of the weekend, Mauro Diaz of FC Dallas put on a show in front of his home fans at Toyota Stadium.
Elsewhere across the league, a few unsung players helped their respective sides earn crucial points during the first weekend of play in July.
Continue reading to see which nine players accompanied Keane and Diaz in the latest MLS Team of the Week.
GK: Josh Saunders, New York City FC
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Josh Saunders may not be the biggest name on the New York City FC roster, but the goalkeeper has turned himself into one of the most important players in the squad.
In Saturday's 2-1 road win over the Montreal Impact, Saunders denied eight of the nine shots he faced at Stade Saputo. The experienced netminder stopped a plethora of set-piece opportunities throughout the match and stood strong on the 10 corners taken by Montreal.
The eight saves with which Saunders left the pitch is his highest career total in 10 seasons in MLS. He made seven stops on two occasions earlier in the year.
RB: Tyrone Mears, Seattle Sounders
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In the 88th minute of Seattle's clash with D.C. United, Tyrone Mears seemed to line the ball up on the right side of the box for an eternity. Once it dropped to his feet, he unleashed a stellar effort into the net to hand the Sounders three points.
"He hit that just as good as Steven Gerrard could have hit it,” Seattle forward Chad Barrett told MLSSoccer.com's Ari Liljenwall after the match.
Mears, who took over at right-back from DeAndre Yedlin at the start of the season, netted his first goal in over five years on Friday night.
“I’ve missed a lot of football with my broken leg. Pretty much three seasons. So it’s been really frustrating. But I’m feeling better, playing a lot more games now and there’s still a lot more to come from me," Mears said to Liljenwall following the game.
CB: Seb Hines, Orlando City
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Seb Hines and Orlando City ground out a point down a man and on the road on Saturday night against Real Salt Lake.
The 27-year-old center back made six clearances and six interceptions against the talented RSL attack that just couldn't score a second goal despite taking 23 shots.
The 1-1 draw produced a solid point for the Lions, who lost Kaka right before halftime as a result of a controversial red card.
CB: Eric Gehrig, Chicago Fire
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Friday night's match between the Chicago Fire and Houston Dynamo was not easy on the eyes.
One of the players who made sure of that was Fire center back Eric Gehrig, who helped limit the host Dynamo to two shots on target.
The 27-year-old, who played with Columbus in 2014, made 10 interceptions, eight clearances and won three aerial duels in the 1-1 draw.
Despite earning a point against a better opponent in Week 18, Chicago is still in last place in the Eastern Conference on 15 points.
LB: Je-Vaughn Watson, FC Dallas
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Just like any typical FC Dallas match, the defense took a back seat to the tremendous attacking abilities of Mauro Diaz and Fabian Castillo. But that doesn't mean players such as Je-Vaughn Watson's contributions should go unnoticed.
Watson slowed down New England's Teal Bunbury in the Hoops' 3-0 victory on home soil. Bunbury, who is usually one of the Revolution's most active attackers, recorded 32 touches and zero shots.
As for Watson, he totaled a team high in tackles with five and made four interceptions during his side's eighth win of the year.
CDM: Andrew Jacobson, New York City FC
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Another unsung hero who stepped up to the task for NYCFC after the rough derby defeat to the New York Red Bulls was Andrew Jacobson.
The defensive midfielder was active for most of the night against Montreal, as he made six interceptions, five clearances and four tackles.
NYCFC was in need of a strong performance from one of its experienced midfielders in a close Eastern Conference match the club needed to win in order to improve its playoff stock. After Week 18, NYCFC sits three points behind the Red Bulls in the race for the final playoff spot in the East.
RM: Ethan Finlay, Columbus Crew
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Before Saturday night, Ethan Finlay did most of his work in the assist column, but in Columbus' 2-1 win over the Red Bulls, he turned into the Crew's top scorer.
Finlay notched his fourth tally of 2015 on a curling shot from right to left in the 33rd minute. The American winger put the Crew ahead for good in the 74th minute, when he tapped in a headed pass from Kei Kamara.
The brace was Finlay's first since he scored his first two goals of the season against Philadelphia on April 25.
Finlay and Kamara, who assisted on both of the midfielder's strikes, have contributed to 24 of the team's 27 goals in 2015, per Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch.
LM: Sebastian Lletget, LA Galaxy
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Sebastian Lletget may well be the best acquisition of the season for the LA Galaxy.
Lletget turned in yet another strong showing on the left wing for the Galaxy, who won in dominant fashion over Toronto FC on Saturday night.
The former West Ham United player was rewarded for his efforts in the 93rd minute as he capped off the 4-0 win with his fourth goal in five games.
Lletget's emergence as a key contributor will have to continue for the Galaxy, who parted ways with efficient winger Stefan Ishizaki after Saturday's match.
CAM: Mauro Diaz, FC Dallas
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Diaz put on a fireworks show of his own before the real things blasted into the sky over Frisco, Texas on the Fourth of July. The crafty midfielder played a role in all three FC Dallas goals on Saturday night.
Diaz delivered his first piece of individual brilliance in the ninth minute, when he hit his free-kick underneath the New England wall and past Bobby Shuttleworth.
In the 64th minute, Diaz's ball into the box created trouble before Castillo pounced after a dreadful defensive sequence from the visiting Revolution. Diaz capped his night off in the 73rd minute, when he played a delightful pass to the right foot of Michael Barrios, who knocked in the final goal of the night.
FW: Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy
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Keane entered Saturday's match at StubHub Center as one of two impressive designated players to take the pitch. But after the contest, the only one worth mentioning was the Republic of Ireland international.
The star forward opened the scoring against Sebastian Giovinco and Toronto FC in the ninth minute, when he blasted a penalty into the top part of the net.
Keane slotted his second goal of the night into the back of the net in 41st minute following a terrific team buildup by the Galaxy. He finished off the first hat-trick in MLS this season in the 59th minute, when he took advantage of some poor play at the back.
With his hat-trick, Keane inched within one three-goal performance of tying Cobi Jones for the club record, per ESPN's Paul Carr.
FW: Kevin Doyle, Colorado Rapids
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Kevin Doyle helped the Colorado Rapids look like a functional soccer team for once on Saturday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
The Rapids, who own the worst record in the Western Conference, pulled off a 2-1 win over Vancouver thanks to Doyle and his teammates up front.
The former Reading and Wolverhampton Wanderers striker found space in the box and nodded in the game-winning goal in the 56th minute. The goal was the final touch on Doyle's best performance in a Rapids shirt to date.
"The last two or three games, we've had so many good opportunities and they just didn't seem to go in. That bit of luck went our way [on Saturday], which we needed. To turn our season around, we needed that bit of luck," Doyle said after the game, per John Meyer of the Denver Post.
Bench
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GK: David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes)
RB: Alvas Powell (Portland Timbers)
CB: Sean St. Ledger (Orlando City)
LM: Justin Meram (Columbus Crew)
FW: David Villa (New York City FC)
FW: Kei Kamara (Columbus Crew)
FW: Vicente Sanchez (Colorado Rapids)
Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com.
