Thanks to Columbus Crew SC's demolition of Hell is Real rivals FC Cincinnati, Ohio's original MLS club headlines selections for the Team of the Week presented by Audi in the Round 1 of group games from the MLS is Back Tournament.
Multi-goal scorer Gyasi Zardes, goal-of-the-tournament candidate contributor Lucas Zelarayan and midfield connector Darlington Nagbe all received starting XI nods for their roles in the 4-0 thrashing, as did coach Caleb Porter.
Elsewhere on the teamsheet, Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake got his second consecutive TotW nod — separated by a measly four months — for his efforts to keep a clean sheet against New York City FC, as did Frederic Brillant for his point-earning stoppage time strike for D.C. United. Minnesota United's Kevin Molino also had his stoppage-time winner rewarded.
Team of the Week (3-4-3):Andre Blake (PHI) - Frederic Brillant (DC), Justen Glad (RSL), Kyle Duncan (RBNY) - Memo Rodriguez (HOU), Darlington Nagbe (CLB), Lucas Zelarayan (CLB), Kevin Molino (MIN) - Gyasi Zardes (CLB), Ayo Akinola (TOR), Gustavo Bou (NE)
Coach: Caleb Porter
Bench:Brad Guzan (ATL), Sebastian Blanco (POR), Mark McKenzie (PHI), Jackson Yueill (SJ), Alejandro Pozuelo (TOR), Carles Gil (NE), Diego Rossi (LAFC)
Team of the Week presented by Audi is voted on by the MLSsoccer.com editorial staff.
During the MLS is Back Tournament – with every goal scored, Audi will contribute $1,000. During the MLS is Back Tournament Championship match, every goal scored is worth $5,000. In addition, Audi will contribute $10,000 to the MLS is Back Tournament Golden Boot winner's Academy club.
