Morales took more than half the votes
Photo: MLS
Javier Morales of Real Salt Lake has been voted the Major League Soccer (MLS) Player of the Week for Round 2 of the 2011 season.
Jason Kreis’ side’s 4-1 demolition of Los Angeles Galaxy provided a few candidates for the honor but in the end it was the 31-year-old Argentinian who prevailed, fighting off challenges from Paulo Junior who was making his first MLS start.
Scott French of ESPN in Los Angeles and vice President of the NASR commented:
“Sure, the Galaxy played a bit of Washington Generals to RSL’s Globetrotters, but I don’t believe in 16 years of watching MLS that I have ever seen a finer team performance than RSL’s, and Morales and Paulo Jr. were wonderful.”
Buzz Carrick of the Dallas website 3rddegree.net added:
“Morales. Arguably the best player on the best team in MLS, on a night they stomp a team thought to be a contender.”
Morales took over half the votes but, as if to emphasize how dominant RSL were this weekend, his colleague Paulo Junior ran in second in the voting.
Their coach Kreis referred to his side’s first half display as ‘the best soccer ever’ by his side at that stadium.
Other players receiving first choice votes were Chris Wondolowski (San Jose), Tally Hall (Houston) and Javier Martina (Toronto).
Several players who didn’t receive any first choice votes did figure in the voting though.
Danny Califf (PHI), Fabian Espindola (RSL), Gaston Puerari (CHI), and Carlos Ruiz (PHI) all received second place votes.
Morales now joins Sporting Kansas’ Omar Bravo as the only 2011 MLS PotW winners.
HOW THEY VOTED
| Voter | First Choice | Second Choice |
| JP Dellacamera | Javier Morales (RSL) | Javier Martina (TOR) |
| Steven Sandor | Javier Morales (RSL) | Javier Martina (TOR) |
| Elliott Almond | Javier Morales (RSL) | Paulo Junior (RSL) |
| Orrin Schwartz | Javier Morales (RSL) | Javier Martina (TOR) |
| Frank Dell’Apa | Javier Morales (RSL) | Chris Wondolowski (SJ) |
| Buzz Carrick | Javier Morales (RSL) | Chris Wondolowski (SJ) |
| Andrew Wiebe | Javier Morales (RSL) | Javier Martina (TOR) |
| Don Ruiz | Javier Morales (RSL) | Carlos Ruiz (PHI) |
| Jonathan Tannenwald | Javier Morales (RSL) | Javier Martina (TOR) |
| Scott French | Javier Morales (RSL) | Paulo Junior (RSL) |
| Shawn Mitchell | Javier Morales (RSL) | Chris Wondolowski (SJ) |
| Phil Schoen | Javier Morales (RSL) | Tally Hall (HOU) |
| Steve Clare | Paulo Junior (RSL) | Danny Califf (PHI) |
| Beau Dure | Paulo Junior (RSL) | Chris Wondolowski (SJ) |
| Jamie Trecker | Paulo Junior (RSL) | Gaston Puerari (CHI) |
| Michael C. Lewis | Paulo Junior (RSL) | Chris Wondolowski (SJ) |
| Tom Timmermann | Paulo Junior (RSL) | Chris Wondolowski (SJ) |
| Grant Wahl | Chris Wondolowski (SJ) | Tally Hall (HOU) |
| Marc Connolly | Chris Wondolowski (SJ) | Javier Morales (RSL) |
| Bobby McMahon | Tally Hall (HO) | Fabian Espindola (RSL) |
| Frank Giase | Javier Martina (TOR) | Chris Wondolowski (SJ) |
