After managing just one win in its first 10 matches of the 2021 Major League Soccer season, the Chicago Fire were in desperate need of a victory, and Ignacio Aliseda helped deliver that win.
The Spanish midfielder scored his first goals of the season, and matched his goal contributions for the entire 2020 season in one match, as he had a hand in all three goals in the Chicago Fire’s 3-0 thumping of Atlanta United. That performance earned Aliseda SBI MLS Player of the Week honors.
On the team side, there were several outstanding performances, but it was hard to overlook Austin FC’s demolition of the Portland Timbers. The expansion side snapped an eight-match winless skid by posting a 4-1 win over the Timbers.
Here is a closer look at the Best of MLS in Week 10:
Player of the Week
Ignacio Aliseda scored a goal and added a beautiful assist to spearhead the Chicago Fire’s 3-0 thrashing of Atlanta United. The attacking outburst came after Aliseda had failed to register a single goal or assist before Saturday.
Aliseda’s heroics helped him beat out Gyasi Zardes, Cecilio Dominguez and Andy Najar for this week’s honors.
Team of the Week
Austin FC snapped its eight-match winless slide in dramatic fashion, tearing apart the Portland Timbers in a 4-1 romp at Q2 Stadium, marking the expansion side’s first win at its new home.
Cecilio Dominguez recorded a pair of assists while four different Austin FC players provided goals in the victory.
Sporting Kansas City, the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United were also worthy of consideration for their victories.
Young Player of the Week
The continued evolution of Kevin Paredes as a dangerous wingback for D.C. United continued on Saturday, as he scored his first professional goal just two minutes into an eventual 7-1 demolition of Toronto FC. Paredes added an incredible 13 tackles to help stifle the right side of TFC’s setup.
Paredes was just one of several youngsters to enjoy good weekends in MLS, with Gianluca Busio, Ricardo Pepi and Cade Cowell among the others worthy of consideration for this week’s Young Player honors.
Goal of the Week
The New York Red Bulls posted one of the more impressive wins of the past weekend, beating Orlando City in Exploria Stadium, and the victory was highlighted by the excellent build-up and beautiful finish by Cristian Casseres Jr.:
The control. The pass. The touch. 👨🍳💋👌@Audi | #RBNY pic.twitter.com/cQhfsRbvOk
— Boo York Red Bulls 🎃 (@NewYorkRedBulls) July 3, 2021
What did you think of this week’s Best of MLS Award selections? Who was selected that you were happy to see chosen? Who didn’t make the cut that you feel deserved the nod?
Share your thoughts below.