NEW YORK (Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021) – Sporting Kansas City forward Johnny Russell has been voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 33 of the 2021 MLS season.
Russell scored both goals as Sporting Kansas City defeated the LA Galaxy 2-0 at Children’s Mercy Park on Wednesday evening, guaranteeing a home game to open up the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs in the process.
The brace marked an eighth consecutive game where Russell has scored a goal, dating back to Sept. 11 – now the fifth-longest goalscoring streak in MLS history. The Scotland international has scored 10 goals over the 8-game streak, and now has 14 goals for the season, sitting in a tie for eighth place in the race for the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi.
On Wednesday evening, Russell latched onto a ball played across the top of the penalty area at the right corner, and slipped past a defender before slotting home a sharply-angled shot inside the near post for the opener in the 40th minute.
Then in the 82nd minute, Russell completed his brace and sealed the win, again receiving a pass from Gadi Kinda at the right corner of the box before curling home a side-footed shot high inside the far corner of the goal.
Russell and Sporting return to action on Sunday afternoon, when they travel to face Minnesota United FC at Allianz Field (12 noon CT; ESPN / ESPN Deportes).
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 voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
