After bagging a late brace that salvaged a 2-2 draw at Orlando City SC on Sunday, New England Revolution forward Adam Buksa has been named MLS Player of the Week for Week 32.
Buksa didn't start the match after Bruce Arena fielded a rotated starting XI, but he finished it in style by bringing the Revs back from a 2-0 deficit inside the final 10 minutes, capping it off with a dramatic 93rd-minute leveler that allowed New England to escape Exploria Stadium with a road point. Buksa becomes the third Revs player to win Player of the Week honors this season, joining goalkeeper Matt Turner (Week 8) and midfielder Carles Gil (Week 9).
With the Revs on the ropes after conceding to Orlando's Nani and Daryl Dike, Buksa started the comeback with a first-time finish via a pinpoint assist from Gustavo Bou, his first after subbing on at halftime.
Buksa wasn't done, though, as the Revs continued to chase an equalizer heading into second-half stoppage time. After teammates Tajon Buchanan and DeJuan Jones each narrowly missed chances, Buksa came through with the huge leveler, heading home a cross from Jones to deliver the recently-crowned Supporters' Shield winners the stunning draw.
The result continues a standout campaign for the 25-year-old Poland international, who's now up to 16 goals and three assists in 30 matches, leaving him just one goal shy of D.C. United's Ola Kamara for the Golden Boot presented by Audi lead. Buksa, one of three Designated Players in New England, was originally signed in December 2019 from Polish club Pogon Szczecin.
The Revs are now just three points away from breaking the MLS single-season points record, with their current haul (70) leaving them two shy of LAFC's 2019 perch with two matches at Gillette Stadium left to play.
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of the vote. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
