Sports stats



Minnesota United FC Forward Christian Ramirez Named NASL Player of the Month For October/November

November 5, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL) News Release


NEW YORK (November 5, 2014) - After adding four goals to his league-leading goal tally in October and November, Minnesota United FC forward Christian Ramirez was named North American Soccer League (NASL) Player of the Month.

Wednesday's honor marks the third time this year that Ramirez has earned the NASL Player of the Month award. Voted on by the media that regularly cover the league, this month's award went down to the wire, with Ramirez edging Fort Lauderdale's Fafa Picault and San Antonio's Adrian Cann and Cesar Elizondo by just two votes.

"It feels good to be honored again. I was just trying to do my job to ensure that we got the top seed," Ramirez said. "It's a collective award, and without the rest of my team, it wouldn't be possible."

United's 23-year-old rookie played in all six matches in October and November, notching four goals and picking up a pair of NASL Team of the Week honors.

The Santa Ana, Calif. native didn't waste any time getting on the score sheet in October, tallying the game-winner in United's 1-0 defeat of the Atlanta Silverbacks on October 4. Eleven days later, Ramirez posted his third two-goal game of the year, leading Minnesota to a 3-2 road victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

To round out his banner month, Ramirez scored his 20th goal of the year in a 2-2 draw against the Carolina RailHawks on Nov. 1.

"He has been outstanding. He has embraced playing within the group, and even when you think his talent has dipped, he's still out there going strong and putting in goals," said United head coach Manny Lagos. "He has done that all year and has been extremely consistent with that, and that's why he's won this award again."

Ramirez, who played all 27 regular season games with United, signed with the club during the offseason. Ramirez finished his college career at Concordia University in Irvine with 44 goals and 18 assists. He spent 2013 with the Charlotte Eagles of USL PRO, where he appeared in 26 matches and tallyied 12 goals.

In total, 12 players were nominated for the NASL Player of the Month award. The other candidates up for recognition were:

Mark Anderson, Midfielder - Fort Lauderdale Strikers

Adrian Cann, Defender - San Antonio Scorpions

Rafael Castillo, Midfielder - San Antonio Scorpions

Cesar Elizondo, Midfielder - San Antonio Scorpions

Evans Frimpong, Midfielder - Tampa Bay Rowdies

Jhulliam, Forward - Indy Eleven

Lance Laing, Midfielder - FC Edmonton

Kristian Nicht, Goalkeeper - Indy Eleven

Nacho Novo, Forward - Carolina RailHawks

Fafá Picault, Forward - Fort Lauderdale Strikers

Pecka, Midfielder - Fort Lauderdale Strikers

The previous winners of NASL Player of the Month in 2014 have been Zack Schilawski, Carolina RailHawks (April); Christian Ramirez (May/June), (August); Rafael Castillo, San Antonio Scorpions (July), Miguel Ibarra, Minnesota United FC (September).

Media note: With Week 17 games stretching into the opening weekend of November, the NASL decided to combine the Player of the Month award for October and November.

• Discuss this story on the North American Soccer League message board...

North American Soccer League Stories from November 5, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central