It was not a great weekend for the English in the United States. The two giants from Manchester were knocked off by MLS opposition in international friendlies, and Portsmouth’s financial misery was compounded with a 4-0 humiliation against D.C. United at RFK Stadium.
The exception was Seattle Sounders Englishman Steve Zakuani, who earned MLS Player of the Week honors for Week 17 as voted by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR).
Zakuani scored the only two goals Seattle would need on Sunday night as they overcame a tough Colorado Rapids side for a 2-1 win at Qwest Field. His brace, giving him seven goals on the season, came inside the first 17 minutes of the match.
HIGHLIGHTS: Seattle Sounders 2, Colorado Rapids 1
The 22-year-old was the first to react to a ball in the box in the 8th minute and sent a shot that ricocheted off the post and then deflected off goalkeeper Matt Pickens and into the net to give the Sounders the early lead. After Colorado responded with a stunner from Omar Cummings, Zakuani restored the Sounders’ advantage by finishing off a cross from Sanna Nyassi.
“It’s a case we have been in every game we have played this year and we've been losing them, and now what we have been doing is turning those into wins,” Zakuani said after the match. “Tonight, we didn't play great, but we get the win. We just have to keep it going.”
Zakuani, a former youth at Arsenal, will now look to extend his scoring streak to the international stage as Seattle play a CONCACAF Champions League qualifier against El Salvador’s Metapán on Wednesday.
He becomes the fifth different Seattle Sounders player to win the Player of the Week award in the club’s first two seasons of existence and the first one this year.
2010 MLS Player of the Week Winners
Week 1: Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake)
Week 2: Kenny Mansally (New England Revolution)
Week 3: Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union)
Week 4: Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy)
Week 5: Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC)
Week 6: Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy)
Week 7: Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
Week 8: Alvaro Saborio (Real Salt Lake)
Week 9: Emilio Renteria (Columbus Crew)
Week 10: Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC)
Week 11: Brek Shea (FC Dallas)
Week 12: Chris Pontius (D.C. United)
Week 13: Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)
Week 14: Alvaro Saborio (Real Salt Lake)
Week 15: Justin Braun (Chivas USA)
Week 16: Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union)
Week 17: Steve Zakuani (Seattle Sounders)
