Robbie Keane and Obafemi Martins were the two star performers in MLS on the weekend, with both bagging braces to further enhance their MVP credentials.
GK – Steve Clark (Columbus Crew)
Clark produced several impressive stops in the Crew’s 2-0 win over Montreal, including in stoppage time when he saved Marco Di Vaio’s spot-kick to preserve his eighth clean sheet of the season.
RB – Chris Klute (Colorado Rapids)
After delivering seven assists in 2013, it took Klute 22 games to record his first of the 2014 campaign, with his performance in the 1-1 draw with San Jose more like what fans became used to last season.
CB – Nick Hagglund (Toronto FC)
Toronto were 2-0 down to Portland after just 16 minutes, but Hagglund came up big in the second-half to head home his first two MLS goals in a stunning 3-2 comeback win.
CB – Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United)
Another rookie centre-back, Birnbaum was rock solid in United’s home clash against the Philadelphia Union, keeping Conor Casey in check for the full 90 minutes to help earn his side a tight 1-0 victory.
LB – Robbie Rogers (LA Galaxy)
The former winger continues to excel at left-back since being converted to the position earlier in the season, and performances like the one on the weekend should earn him a US national team recall sooner rather than later.
RM – Boniek Garcia (Houston Dynamo)
A 2-0 home win over Chicago keeps Houston’s post-season hopes alive for another week, with Garcia capping his influential performance with a wonderful second-half strike.
CM – Paulo Nagamura (Sporting Kansas City)
Nagamura orchestrated Sporting KC’s second-half comeback against the New England Revolution with a goal and assist, but his efforts were in vain after an 85th-minute Jermaine Jones strike saw the visitors steal a 3-2 win.
CM – Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
The US international provided the assist from a free-kick for Hagglund’s 70th-minute equaliser, before bagging the dramatic stoppage-timer winner with another set piece special.
LM – Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
Three assists in LA’s 4-0 win over the Red Bulls sees the soon-to-retire Donovan tie Steve Ralston’s all-time league record with just four regular-season games left.
ST – Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy)
A brace on the weekend means Keane now has 17 goals and 14 assists on the season – sure-fire league MVP numbers.
ST – Obafemi Martins (Seattle Sounders)
Keane faces strong competition from the Pacific Northwest, however, with Martins bagging two goals and an assist in Seattle’s 4-2 home win over Chivas USA to further strengthen his case for the award.
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