Miguel Almiron got Atlanta United FC back on track in a big way on Saturday, netting a hat trick to power the expansion side to a much-needed 4-1 home win against the Houston Dynamo.
On Tuesday, he received an honor for his efforts, when it was announced that Almiron was voted Alcatel MLS Player of the Week for Week 12 of the 2017 season by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR).
After enduring an hour-long delay due to inclement weather at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Almiron and Atlanta got things going in the 30th minute, when the Paraguayan picked up a loose ball at the top of the box, scooted to his left and slammed a 15-yard shot into the roof of the net to make it 1-0.
He made it 2-0 in the 42nd, collecting a Yamil Asad pass at the top of the box, skipping away from a defender and firing a laser into the top right corner from the penalty spot. Midfielder Julian Gressel gave Atlanta a 3-0 lead in the 76th, then Almiron completed his hat trick in the 80th, coolly converting a penalty for his third goal.
The performance gave Almiron five goals and four assists in 11 MLS appearances this season. All of the 23-year-old’s goals have come in two games, with his two previous tallies coming in Atlanta’s 6-1 win at Minnesota on March 12.
Almiron is the third straight player to win Player of the Week after recording a hat trick, following Crew SC midfielder and Week 11 winner Justin Meram and Philadelphia forward and Week 10 honoree CJ Sapong.
Atlanta, who are in ninth in the tightly-packed Eastern Conference, will return to action on Sunday, when they’ll host New York City FC (5 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes; MLS LIVE in Canada).
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
