MLS Team of the Week: Kamara, Kljestan, Winter Come Up Big in Week 28
Just like every week before it in the 2015 Major League Soccer season, Week 28 witnessed some expected and unlikely results. But this weekend added one variable to the mix: playoff desperation.
With the fight for the highest seed possible and the struggle to stay alive in the postseason race facing them, a few clubs impressed under pressure. Columbus, Orlando City and Real Salt Lake all earned plenty of praise for their respective victories in Week 28.
Columbus was led by star scorer Kei Kamara in Philadelphia, while Orlando City and RSL used standout performances from summer signings to get past Sporting Kansas City and Houston, respectively. Due to their strong matches, the Crew, Orlando City and RSL have more than one player in the latest MLS Team of the Week.
Since there were plenty of solid efforts in midfield in Week 28, we shaped our best 11 from the weekend in a 4-5-1 formation.
Continue reading on to see who was named to our latest MLS Team of the Week.
GK: Steve Clark, Columbus Crew
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The Columbus Crew were able to shake the tag of bad finishers on Saturday as they closed out a 2-1 win on the road over Philadelphia thanks to a stellar defensive performance led by goalkeeper Steve Clark.
Clark's biggest denial came in the 79th minute when he pushed Sebastien Le Toux's shot onto the top of the crossbar with his left hand. The ball then bounced to Michael Parkhurst, who successfully cleared away the Union's final major threat of the night.
Clark recorded a total of six saves in the Crew's 12th victory of the season. With five games left in the season, Columbus is one point behind the New York Red Bulls for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, but the Red Bulls have three games in hand on Gregg Berhalter's side.
RB: Harrison Afful, Columbus Crew
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Harrison Afful exploited the massive amount of space the Union defense handed to him on the right wing on Saturday night, and he played a role in both of the Crew's goals.
Although he wasn't credited with an assist on Kei Kamara's opener, Afful did set up the goal as his cross from the right wing glanced off the head of Richie Marquez before reaching Kamara.
The Crew's second strike in the 26th minute witnessed a similar buildup, as Afful took advantage of the gaps in front of him on the flank to cross a ball into Kamara, who tapped in his 20th goal of the year at the back post.
On the defensive side of the pitch, Afful was able to limit the influence of youngster Eric Ayuk on the left wing and force Philadelphia to play primarily through the right flank.
CB: Victor Cabrera, Montreal Impact
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Without Laurent Ciman at center back, many thought the Montreal Impact would struggle against the LA Galaxy on Saturday night.
Thanks to an incredible showing from 22-year-old Victor Cabrera, the Impact held one of the league's top attacks to four shots on target in the scoreless draw at StubHub Center.
Cabrera, who made 12 clearances and eight interceptions, partnered with Wandrille Lefevre to hold Robbie Keane to 28 touches and two shots on goal.
CB: Bobby Burling, Colorado Rapids
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Usually when Bobby Burling finds the back of the net, he uses his head. But on Saturday night, the Colorado center back hit a knuckling shot with his foot to beat D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid.
Burling's 28th-minute goal handed the Rapids a surprising one-goal lead against one of the top clubs in the league at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Burling and the Colorado back line did concede a late equalizer in the 87th minute, but they held strong for the majority of the match as D.C. tested Clint Irwin with just two attempts on goal.
LB: Luke Boden, Orlando City
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Orlando City stayed alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City at the Citrus Bowl on Sunday night.
Left back Luke Boden helped the Lions get in front early in the third minute, as his free kick found the head of Adrian Winter on the left side of the box.
Boden also played a major role in silencing any Sporting KC attack through the right wing, as starter Jacob Peterson and halftime substitute Bernardo Anor combined for zero shots.
AM: Adrian Winter, Orlando City
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In order to keep their playoff hopes alive, Orlando City needed someone in attack to step up and provide the side with goals with Kaka out injured following the international break.
Winter answered the call with his first two goals in Orlando purple in front of the home crowd at the Citrus Bowl.
In the third minute, Winter broke away from everyone in the box and knocked in Boden's free kick with his head at the back post. Winter secured the impressive victory for the Lions in the 72nd minute after receiving the ball back from Lewis Neal on a give-and-go on the right side of the box.
Although they are tied with Montreal at 32 points, the Lions are at a disadvantage in the race for the sixth seed in the East since Montreal has four games in hand remaining.
CM: Michel, FC Dallas
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In his first start since June 19, Michel played a vital role in both of FC Dallas' goals on Saturday night at Toyota Stadium.
On the first strike scored by the Hoops against New York City FC, Michel lofted a beautiful ball to the feet of Tesho Akindele, who cut in from the right wing and struck a blistering shot into the net.
Right before the halftime whistle blew, Michel netted an olimpico from the right corner flag. His corner curled into the box on a tight angle, and the ball bounced into the right side of the net without anyone touching it.
The goal was the first of the season for Michel, who will be a nice veteran addition to the midfield mix as Oscar Pareja's side chases the Supporters' Shield.
CM: Javier Morales, Real Salt Lake
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Few teams needed a win more than Real Salt Lake in Week 28. As expected, Javier Morales stepped up and delivered on a few key occasions to keep the Claret and Cobalt's playoff hopes alive.
Morales kicked off the scoring right before the half, cleaning up a mess in front of the net. In the 68th minute, Morales drew a few defenders in his direction and opened up space for Juan Manuel Martinez to cruise into the right side of the box and fire home a Morales pass into the back of the net.
By earning his 10th assist on RSL's final goal of the 3-1 win, Morales secured his third consecutive season with 10 or more assists.
CM: Sacha Kljestan, New York Red Bulls
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Sacha Kljestan opened the MLS weekend with another superb performance in the New York Red Bulls midfield.
Kljestan helped start the Red Bulls comeback from two goals down in the 28th minute as he played the role of middle man between Felipe and Bradley Wright-Phillips. Kljestan tracked down a pass from Felipe, took one touch and then sent the ball forward to the feet of Wright-Phillips, who finished off the attacking move with a goal.
With the match against Chicago tied at two in the 71st minute, Kljestan converted from the spot to hand the Red Bulls the lead. Kljestan's sixth goal of the season allowed the Red Bulls to climb to the top of the Eastern Conference standings on 45 points. The Red Bulls are now seen as the favorite to win the East since they have three games in hand on D.C., which also has 45 points after Week 28.
AM: Juan Manuel Martinez, Real Salt Lake
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Real Salt Lake fans waited patiently over the summer for the club to ink the man they call "Burrito" to a contract.
Juan Manuel Martinez only saw 25 minutes of playing time in August, but in his first start for the club, he made sure RSL would remain in the fight for the sixth playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The former Boca Juniors man combined well with Morales on the club's final goal. He also contributed four shots, two key passes and made just eight fewer touches than the normally active Morales.
FW: Kei Kamara, Columbus Crew
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Kei Kamara bagged his sixth brace of the 2015 season on the way to becoming the 16th player in MLS history to score 20 goals in a single season.
Kamara pounced for his 19th of the season in the 21st minute when he nodded home a deflected cross at the left post. Five minutes later, Kamara made a similar run to the back post before sliding and tapping home Afful's pass from the right wing.
"I actually didn't know that number. Sixteen is actually my lucky number. I came to America at the age of 16 so I've always counted that as my lucky number," Kamara told reporters after the match.
Bench
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GK: Tim Melia (Sporting Kansas City)
CB: Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)
CB: Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United)
LB: Donny Toia (Montreal Impact)
CM: Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
FW: Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls)
FW: David Accam (Chicago Fire)
All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com and WhoScored.com. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
