Sebastián Blanco named MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire for Week 11

Blanco recorded two goals and two assists in Portland’s 7-2 win over Sporting Kansas City

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Timbers midfielder Sebastián Blanco was voted the MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire for Week 11, the league announced today.

After heading into halftime with a 1-0 advantage, Blanco led a second-half masterclass for the Timbers, both scoring and assisting twice in the first 24 minutes to lead Portland’s 7-2 victory over Sporting Kansas City. It was the midfielder’s first two goals of the 2022 campaign and his fifth MLS career brace, including playoffs, with Portland. Notably, Blanco became the first player in Timbers history and the only MLS player since 2020 to record at least two goals and two assists in a game.

With his performance, Blanco helped the Timbers score seven goals for the first time in club history and become the first club to do so since D.C. United on July 3, 2021. The Timbers have scored at least six goals on four separate occasions since the start of the 2020 season with Blanco recording two assists in half of those games. Additionally, his four goal contributions against Sporting were a career best.

Blanco is the first Timbers player to win MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire this year and the first to do so since Jeremy Ebobisse in Week 16 of 2020. Blanco has won three MLS Player of the Week awards in his career, which is the third-most in Timbers history behind Diego Valeri (five) and Fanendo Adi (four).