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Burgos Wins Play of the Week in Landslide to Highlight Landmark Week

August 13, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


Junior Burgos of the Atlanta Silverbacks Celebrates his Goal
Junior Burgos of the Atlanta Silverbacks Celebrates his Goal
(Atlanta Silverbacks)

ATLANTA - Of all the highlights in Week 6 of the NASL Fall Season, the Atlanta Silverbacks' (5-7-6, 22 points Combined Table) hat-trick of league-wide honors is shining brightest. In a seven-day span that featured two matches (a win over Fort Lauderdale Strikers and a draw against San Antonio Scorpions) with five Silverbacks goals, Atlanta laid claim to the NASL Player of the Week, Team of the Week and the recently announced fan-voted Play of the Week. Pedro Mendes, scorer of both goals in the win over the Strikers, earned Player of the Week and Team of the Week honors on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, for his three goals and one assist production.

At 10 a.m. on Thursday, the NASL league office announced midfielder Junior Burgos as the winner of Play of the Week with a 43 percent mark - beating the next closest play by double. The 26-year-old Salvadorian international bent and buried a blistering free kick from about 30 yards away in the 51st-minute against the San Antonio Scorpions. The net-finding missile rose above the Scorpions five-man wall before nose-diving inside the near post and into goalkeeper Matt Cardone's net. The goal was the Silverbacks' second go-ahead goal of the eventual 3-3 draw at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.

"When we were awarded the free kick, it was (Paul Black) and I standing over it," Burgos said. "I just had a great feeling, an instinct, and Paul looked at me to ask if I wanted to take it. I nodded and said 'I'm about to score.' It was a sort of magical moment."

The Play of the Week honor is the second consecutive for Atlanta, which claimed Week 5's honor as well when forwards Jaime Chavez and Pedro connected for a slick backheel-to-1-touch finish in the Club's 1-0 victory over Indy Eleven on Aug. 1. Chavez also won Play of the Week in the Fall's third week of the season for an acrobatic overhead kick against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Atlanta has opened the Fall with a 4-2-2 run of results since head coach Gary Smith added a handful of impact players - including Burgos and Pedro - and switched to the attack-minded 3-5-2 formation. The team has scored 14 goals in just eight matches this Fall, climbing to second place in the table and just a point outside of a playoff position - standing as a stark opposite to Atlanta's Spring season, which saw the team finish in 11th place with just seven goals scored.

The Silverbacks will take their four-match unbeaten run on a historic first-ever trip to Jacksonville Armada FC on Saturday (7:30 p.m. | ESPN3) before returning to Atlanta Silverbacks Park on Aug. 22 to host Indy Eleven (7:30 p.m.), presented by COUNTRY Financial.




Images from this story

Junior Burgos of the Atlanta Silverbacks Lines up for a Free Kick
Junior Burgos of the Atlanta Silverbacks Lines up for a Free Kick
 Junior Burgos of the Atlanta Silverbacks Celebrates his Goal
Junior Burgos of the Atlanta Silverbacks Celebrates his Goal
  

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