Columbus Crew midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto was voted MLS Player of the Month for August after recording six assists and one goal while leading the Crew to a 3-1-0 record during the month. Columbus holds the top record in the League at 12-6-4, and with 40 points the club sits two points ahead of the New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Columbus Crew started the month on a rocky note with a 2-0 loss at the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, Aug. 2. The Crew returned home to face FC Dallas Saturday, Aug. 16 and used two Schelotto assists to come from behind to defeat FC Dallas 2-1. Schelotto recorded his 11th and 12th assists of the season on goals scored by Brian Carroll and Brad Evans.
Schelotto then led Columbus to a 3-0 victory Saturday, Aug. 23 over a surging Real Salt Lake squad. Schelotto helped pick apart the Real Salt Lake defense and rewarded Chad Marshall with his third goal of the season in the 15th minute off a free kick from the left side of the field. In the 25th minute, Schelotto took a loose ball and led the attack down the middle of the field. He fed the ball to Eddie Gaven in the penalty area, and Gaven was fouled setting up a penalty kick. Schelotto took the spot kick and sent the ball past Nick Rimando for his fifth goal of the season. He also helped set up the final goal with a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Gaven, who sent a cross to the back post for Brad Evans to finish from close range. The assist was Schelotto's 14th of the season.
Schelotto led the crew to a win strikingly similar to the one two weeks prior, as they faced FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday, Aug. 30. As in the game on Aug. 16, former Crew and current FC Dallas striker Jeff Cunningham notched the game's first goal. Columbus was able to storm back, led by Schelotto's two assists. The equalizer came in the 37th minute when Schelotto's corner kick found Marshall at the back post. Marshall headed the ball back across the goal for Alejandro Moreno to finish. The go-ahead and game-winning goal was again set up by Schelotto. He used a quick cut-back to get free of FC Dallas defender Drew Moor on the left wing. He then delivered a pin point cross to the back post for Gaven to head into the back of the net. The assist was Schelotto's league leading 16th of the season.
Since joining the Crew in 2007 from storied Argentinean club Boca Juniors, Schelotto has proven to be one of the best attacking players in the League. He was a member of the 2007 MLS Best XI and finished tied for third in the League in assists (11). In 44 career MLS games, he's recorded a whopping 27 assists and registered 11 goals. His 16 assists this season are the most for an individual in MLS since the 2003 season when Preki recorded 17. With eight games remaining in the season, the Crew have already recorded three more wins and three more points than in 2007 when they finished with a 9-11-10 record with 37 points and missed the playoffs. Schelotto and the Crew are back in action on Saturday, Sept. 6 when they host the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Major League Soccer Player of the Month is selected following the last regular season game of each month by a panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR). The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership guidelines can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com/".
2008 MLS Player of the Month Awards
April:
Landon Donovan - Los Angeles Galaxy
May:
Cuauhtémoc Blanco - Chicago Fire
June:
Luciano Emilio - D.C. United
July:
Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake
August:
Guillermo Barros Schelotto - Columbus Crew
