NEW YORK (Monday, July 12, 2021) – Real Salt Lake midfielder Damir Kreilach has been voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 12 of the 2021 MLS season.
Kreilach scored two goals in Real Salt Lake’s 4-0 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The Real Salt Lake midfielder opened the scoring inside the first minute when Aaron Herrera found him in the box with a long through ball. Kreilach did well to get in front of his defender and then delicately chip the ball over the Whitecaps goalkeeper with his first touch to complete the move (WATCH GOAL HERE). Coming just 42 seconds into the game, it was the third-fastest Real goal from the start of a game in club history.
In the 57th minute, Justin Meram delivered a cross into the Whitecaps box that Kreilach connected with well to double Real Salt Lake’s lead (WATCH GOAL HERE). Kreilach had an opportunity to complete the hat trick late in the game, but his shot took a deflection off a defender and fell to Anderson Julio for the team’s fourth and final goal of the game.
The brace was the second of the season for Kreilach – and both have come against the Whitecaps, also netting a pair in RSL’s 3-1 win on June 18. Kreilach now sits tied for third with Sporting Kansas City’s Daniel Sallói in the race for the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi, with seven goals for the season.
Kreilach and Real Salt Lake will be back in action on Saturday, July 17 at LAFC (10:30 p.m., ESPN+) in the second of three meetings between the sides this season.
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.
