Seattle's Rosales named Week 18's Player of the Week

For the second straight game, the Seattle Sounders found themselves trailing on two different occasions. And for the second straight game, they came back to win.

Midfielder Mauro Rosales fueled the second-half charge for the Sounders, who rallied back from a 2-1 halftime deficit to defeat the Colorado Rapids 4-3 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle on Saturday. His performance earned Player of the Week honors for Week 18, as voted on by the North American Soccer Reporters.

Rosales, who tallied an assist and the game-winning goal in the match, edged out Timbers goalkeeper Troy Perkins by just one vote. Rosales becomes the third Seattle Sounder, and second consecutive, to win the Player of the Week award this season, joining teammates Fredy Montero (Week 17) and Jeff Parke (Week 10) in that department.

Rosales found the back of the net in the 84th minute after he one-timed a brilliant back-door through ball from Montero past helpless Colorado ‘keeper Matt Pickens. The game-clinching finish gave Seattle their 10th win of the season, joining the LA Galaxy and FC Dallas for the league-lead in wins. It also brought them to within one point of the Western Conference lead.

Seattle leveled the match at 2-2 in the 48th minute when Rosales whipped an effective cross into the six-yard-box. He found the left foot of Roger Levesque, whose deft touch managed to slip the ball into the lower far corner.

“Mauro is probably off the run of play as good of a crosser as there is in this league,” said head coach Sigi Schmid of Rosales. “He finds people and picks them out on crosses.”

The victory for the Sounders gives them five wins in six games and extends their MLS undefeated streak to nine games (6-0-3). They will host EPL giants Manchester United on July 20 (10 pm ET, FOX Soccer), before looking to push their MLS unbeaten streak to 10 games when they visit the Houston Dynamo on July 30.

WATCH: FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS - SEA 4, COL 3