Toronto FC Forward Sebastian Giovinco Voted MLS Player of the Week
July 14, 2015 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release
NEW YORK (Tuesday, July 14, 2015) - Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 19 of the 2015 MLS season.
With teammates Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley fulfilling international duties, Giovinco took center stage and stole the show in TFC's wild 4-4 draw with New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. The Italian recorded the third fastest hat trick in Major League Soccer history between the 34th and 43rd minutes of the first half, later tacking on an assist. Giovinco now claims three Player of the Week nods this season.
After cracking a penalty kick attempt off the post in the 19th minute, Giovinco got another chance from the spot in the 34th - and he capitalized. With Toronto down 2-0, the forward gave his team life by tucking his spot kick into the left corner past a sprawling Josh Saunders for his first goal of the afternoon.
In the 40th minute, Giovinco struck again, taking a beautiful back-heel pass from Jackson Goncalves and slicing through NYCFC's backline. Despite defender Shay Facey's best efforts, Giovinco managed to stay on his feet and finish with a right-footed shot to the far post.
Three minutes later, he made MLS history with his third goal in nine minutes. Giovinco again slipped behind NYCFC's defense, this time beating Josh Saunders with a cheeky, one-touch chip off a cross from Robbie Findley. The former Juventus forward still wasn't done, however. Tied 3-3 in the 82nd minute, Giovinco picked Andoni Iraola's pocket and made a tremendous run from midfield to the goal line, where he found a wide open Marco Delgado in front of the net for the go-ahead goal.
Toronto FC returns to MLS action on Saturday, July 18, when they host the Philadelphia Union in at BMO Field at 4:00 p.m. ET (TSN, RDS2, CSN Philadelphia).
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
Major League Soccer Stories from July 14, 2015
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- Dynamo Defender DaMarcus Beasley Added to United States Men's National Team Gold Cup Roster - Houston Dynamo FC
- New England Revolution to Host Special Olympics Unified Match at Gillette Stadium on Saturday - New England Revolution
- Sebastian Giovinco Voted MLS Player of the Week - Toronto FC
- Toronto FC Forward Sebastian Giovinco Voted MLS Player of the Week - MLS
- MLS and BeIN SPORTS Announce Partnership to Broadcast MLS Across Southeast Asia and Australia - MLS
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