Club

Team of the Week (Wk 13): Rodney Wallace's stellar play earns him a spot

Rodney Wallace, Timbers vs. Chivas USA, 5.12.13





OK, so no points for guessing two of the players in this week's best XI – you score a hat trick, your chances of making the selection are usually pretty good.


But the two high-scoring forwards weren't the only players to make waves this week. A pair of unsung heroes in the center of midfield didn't find the scoresheet, but helped their teams immensely – one in a rout and one in a comeback draw against one of MLS' top teams.


Further back, one defender atoned for an early mistakes with a huge game for his team, another rookie defender stepped into the spotlight, and an always-entertaining goalkeeper continued to make his case for the Newcomer of the Year award.


Who made the cut this week? Read on to find out...


SAVE: Fernandez's huge stoppage-time save





GK: Raúl Fernández (FC Dallas) – Grabbed his team by the scruff of the neck and dragged them to three points as San Jose piled on the pressure in the end of Dallas' 1-0 win over the Quakes, ending the night with six saves.


DF: Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas) – Couldn't have asked for a much better first MLS start. Was a rock at the heart of Dallas' defense and coped well with San Jose's bruising attack.


DF: Jámison Olave (New York Red Bulls) – Atoned for his early mistake on Dominic Oduro's opener in New York's 2-2 draw with Columbus with a phenomenal performance from then on out, capping it with a superb equalizer.


DF: Chris Tierney (New England Revolution) – Honored for a superb two-way performance for the veteran left back. Tierney got up and down the flanks with ease, tracking back well and also setting up New England's opener in their 2-0 win over Toronto FC.


MF: Justin Mapp (Montreal Impact) – Yet another impressive performance from the well-traveled winger, who set up a pair of goals in Montreal's wild win over Philadelphia and did well to help control the tempo and keep the Impact pushing forward.


MF: Marcelo Sarvas (LA Galaxy) – The Robbies (Keane and Rogers), may have stolen the show for the Galaxy on Sunday night's 4-0 win over Seattle, but let's not overlook Sarvas' complete performance in the center of midfield. Helped set up Sean Franklin's opener, made dangerous runs throughout the game and got under Seattle's (and especially Shalrie Joseph's) skin with his refusal to let up.


MF: Uri Rosell (Sporting Kansas City) – Like Sarvas, you won't find the Spaniard's name on the scoresheet, but he more than earned his keep in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Houston, keeping the midfield cohesive, dictating the tempo of play and helping set up Kei Kamara's equalizer with a well-weighted pass out of the middle of the park.


MF: Rodney Wallace (Portland Timbers) – One of the most active players in the Timbers' 2-0 win at D.C. United and again among the goals with his well-taken 20th-minute strike. Showing no signs of letting up after bursting into the spotlight under Caleb Porter.


FW: Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy) – Even though two-thirds of his hat-trick came from the penalty spot, this is still an easy one. Flummoxed the Seattle defense with his trademark off-the-ball movement and picked up a brilliant assist on the opening goal.


GOAL: Di Vaio's cool touch and finish





FW: Marco Di Vaio (Montreal Impact) – The veteran Italian striker was pure class in Saturday's wild 5-3 win over the visiting Philadelphia Union, bagging a hat trick with some technically superb goals and even in spite of missing the easiest chance of all of them.


FW: Deshorn Brown (Colorado Rapids) – The rookie forward continues to impress for Oscar Pareja's side and was one of the main instigators in attack, picking up two assists and creating more chances as Colorado cruised past Chivas USA 2-0.


Coach: Bruce Arena (LA Galaxy)Admittedly, when you have Robbie Keane at your disposal, it makes life a little easier, but LA's 4-0 thrashing of Seattle on Sunday saw another well-executed game plan and smart lineup choices from Arena and the Galaxy, and this time against one of the league's hottest teams. It may have been a no-brainer late in the game with a four-goal lead, but his insertion of Rogers was well-timed and a huge step forward in the grand scheme of American sports.


Bench:Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Eric Gehrig (Columbus Crew), Sean Franklin (LA Galaxy), Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls), Fabián Castillo (FC Dallas), Diego Fagundez (New England Revolution), Andrew Wenger (Montreal Impact)