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SBI MLS Player of the Week: Juninho

Juninho (GettyImages)

In one of the easier selections we'll have to make, Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Juninho was chosen as SBI's MLS Player of the Week for Week 1 of the MLS season.

Juninho was the easy choice after scoring a pair of goals to help the Galaxy post a season-opening 1-0 win against Seattle and a 1-1 tie against New England. He delivered a pair of long-range blasts to keep the Galaxy unbeaten despite opening the season without starting goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and defender Omar Gonzalez.

Juninho had the advantage of playing in two games this week, which gave him an edge over some other worthy candidates for the honors, including Vancouver's Eric Hassli, Sporting Kansas City's Omar Bravo and New York's Juan Agudelo to name a few.

What did you think of Juninho's performances this week? Who got your vote for Player of the Week this week?

Comments

  1. The refs were the reason the Galaxy are 1-0-1 and not 2-0-0.

    Remember: Juninho scored THREE goals this week. Three perfectly valid ones.

    The refs only counted two.

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  2. The conditions were were worse in LA and Juninho should have 3 goals already. He is going to score a lot more if they get that kid Cardozo into the game…Even though they dont have much depth…LA’s Starting 11 is the strongest in the league.

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  3. Rimando wasn’t just fighting off Wondolowski– he was fighting Mother Nature. Amazing saves in horrible conditions. GK’s never get the love.

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  4. I suppose he is a fair choice, but he kind of had the advantage of playing 2 games while almost everyone else in the league played one.

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  5. Ives it isn’t going to be a LA player every week if they show an once of brilliance is it? I heard you on that SI podcast, LA is your team now.

    Great spot on that show, you need to get your own man.

    (SBI-Rob, he scored a beautiful game-winner and then a beautiful equalizer. I really don’t get how anybody could rationally think he isn’t deserving. Maybe it’s just me but I can’t see anybody impartial and who put serious thought into it would pick anybody but Juninho.

    As for the show, thanks Rob. I appreciate that. We’re drawing closer to our own SBI Podcast.)

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  6. You can bet Yourasskowsky that if I were Aron Winter, whenever I was shaking the other team’s coache’s hand, I’d be like “Yourasskowsky is mine, fool” and then laugh. He IS the Muscles from Ixelles…

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  7. That reason alone doesn’t diminish what Davies did; it just adds to it.

    I wouldn’t exactly tout Davies’ two goals as if they were field of play, either. Don’t forget one was a PK that he wasn’t involved with the drawing of. I’m not advocating PK’s are lesser than field of play goals, but when you’re comparing two players who each have two goals…

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  8. Mikey, I have no problem with Juninho’s choice as the player of the week, although there were other worthy candidates. But I don’t think that simply because Davis came of the bench as a sub against “tired” opposition somehow deminishes his accomplishment. Name anther MLS sub that scored two goals in a game this season against “tired” opposition. One could also argue that scoring 2 goals in 38 minutes (Davis had his third goal disallowed due to an offside call) was more impressive than Juninho scoring 2 goals in 180 minutes. Or one could argue that Eric Hassli’s scoring 2 goals in one game is a greater achievement that Juninho’s 2 goals in two games for a loaded Galaxy squad.

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  9. Have to agree with SBI on this, though not necessarily Juninho’s selection as POTW. He might be the right pick but I didn’t see him play (other than highlights). But most observers of the DCU/CC game thought Wolff was MOTM. I was there, and did, too.

    Charlie, however, is undoubtedly the story of the week in MLS.

    Vamos United!

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  10. Why is it outrageous that a guy who scores two goals and that is directly responsible for LA’s 4 points in a week beats out a guy who played less than 40 minutes and takes a PK for his team. 😉

    If one of Juninho’s goals was a PK and he came on as a late sub, you might have a case…

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  11. To be fair, Davies came in as a sub at what, the 57th minute? He was then allowed to use what he does best (speed) against guys that were tired. Also, assuming someone other than Davies takes the PK (that Davies had nothing to do with drawing), DCU *still* wins that game. As much as we all love Davies, he isn’t the reason DCU has 3 points today.

    Now, Juninho? He is directly responsible for LA’s 4 points. Even if you gave CD9 the benefit of the doubt on the PK goal, Juninho was responsible for more points this week than CD9.

    I’m with Ives on this one. CD9’s week was very emotional and a great story – definitely! Not quite player of the week though. Davies didn’t even put in 40 minutes of match time while you have guys like Juninho that played 180 minutes and scored two (earned) field of play goals.

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  12. Ives just picked Juninho because he’s on the his fantasy MLS team. Also he had two high class goals but mehhh we like to think theres some sort of bias.

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  13. He got a mention on the ESPN Boston sportscenter highlight reel because he went to BC. But i would imagine he got a mention on the real thing.

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  14. I think that was a great opening week for the season, and it’s great that there were so many outstanding performances that this subject is debatable.

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  15. For Dishonest Player of the Week, Carlos Ruiz gets the nod for his elbow to the face of Hainault. Ruiz is already thinking about how he can improve upon his performance for next week. A lunging late tackle ala Jonny Evans? Perhaps. A dive in the box? More than likely.

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  16. I thought Nick Rimando had a pretty good week. Faced a ton of shots in the end of the game to keep a clean sheet and get RSL the win.

    Having said that, you can’t beat 2 goals in 2 different games to get your team 2 results.

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  17. Davies makes his professional return to 1st team action since the accident. That alone earns him the honors, but to score 2 goals in the game should have cemented it.

    No disrespect to any of the other players, but there’s no denying that this week’s games meant more because of Davies. That cannot be said of any other player.

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  18. On Saturday the only MLS highlight that ESPN showed was the DC vs. Columbus game, and they showed both his goals and post game interview

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  19. Davies had a fine game. But Josh Wolff was more dangerous and scored the first goal for DCU.

    As for those who’d say “well, one of Davies’ goals was a PK”…another way to put it is the guy got 2 goals in less than 40 minutes. That said, for anyone who watched the Columbus-DCU match, as emotional as it is to see Davies do well, Wolff was the better player and arguable had more impact on the match.

    And I don’t have a problem picking Juninho. 2 goals in 2 games that determine whether or not his team gets points–that’s a fine week. Now, if we were just talking ONE game than I think there are other players I’d pick ahead of him.

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  20. Juninho is the reason LA has a strong start. He had both critical goals out of nothing. Anyone that argues him is obviously an idiot

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  21. Juninho is pretty much the reason the Galaxy are 1-0-1 and not 0-2-0 right now. Both goals were huge, and as much as I love CD9, Juninho’s goals were far more game-relevant and critical.

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  22. Not so much as a mention of Charlie Davies? Fail.

    (SBI-I’m pretty sure we’ve mentioned him plenty this weekend, and let’s face it, he was clearly the best story of the weekend. Best player of the weekend? Some would argue Josh Wolff was actually Man of the Match in that very game. Don’t let emotions cloud your judgment. I’m sure Charlie will win a few Player of the Weeks, just not this week.)

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  23. Blown away by how far off base you are this week. It’s clearly Kevin Hartman. Davies had a PK handed to him to get the brace.

    (SBI-Blown away that someone with “Frisco” in their name would think it absurd that the FC Dallas guy didn’t win. Haha)

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  24. Does anyone know if Charlie Davies got a mention on ESPN. i think it is a remarkable debut that has cross over apeal to all fans of sports. Hopefully the Jon Jones/march crapiness–excuse me– madness stories didn’t crowd him out.

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