Luke Rodgers #9 of the New York Red Bulls scored twice against the San Jose Earthquakes during the game at Red Bull Arena on April 16, 2011 in Harrison, New Jersey.
Photo by Andy Marlin/Getty Images
Luke Rodgers of New York Red Bulls is the MLS Player of the Week for Week 5.
New York are a marquee club full of world famous names but this week one of their less heralded stars made headlines in MLS. It is not Thierry Henry or Rafa Marquez, but their team mate Luke Rodgers who has won the MLS Player of the Week for Week 5.
The former Notts County forward scored twice as New York gained revenge for their elimination in last years Eastern Conference play-offs with a 3-0 win at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ.
Within 15 minutes Rodgers had made maximum impact. He is not the tallest striker in MLS but outjumped the Earthquakes defence in just the second minute to convert a Dane Richards cross.
French superstar Thierry Henry was instrumental in Rodgers second goal 13 minutes later. He robbed San Jose’s Ramiro Corrales and outpaced him on New York’s right flank.
His slotted ball into the most dangerous part of the area just evaded Quakes keeper Jon Busch. Rodgers timed his run perfectly to hammer home his second goal of the night with just a quarter of an hour gone.
Henry added a third late on but it was the 29 year old from Birmingham, England who scooped the award.
Dan Girard of the Toronto Star said:
“Rodgers was opportunistic, finishing a pair in close and then crossing a lovely ball for Henry’s 3-0 clincher.”
Voters did not ignore the incredible week in Portland.
Kalif Alhassan came in second equal with many of his colleagues also mentioned by the voter pool drawn from the North American Soccer Reporters. Jorge Perlaza won three first choice votes, and both Rodney Wallace and Kenny Cooper also received recognition.
DC United’s Chris Pontius also received first choice votes equaling Alhassan’s four.
How they voted:
| Voter | POTW Choice | Second Choice |
| Orrin Schwartz | Luke Rodgers (NY) | Jack Jewsbury (POR) |
| Marc Connolly | Luke Rodgers (NY) | Jorge Perlaza (POR) |
| Frank Giase | Luke Rodgers (NY) | Kalif Alhassan (POR) |
| JP Dellacamera | Luke Rodgers (NY) | Jorge Perlaza (POR) |
| Dan Girard | Luke Rodgers (NY) | Rodney Wallace (POR) |
| Andrew Wiebe | Luke Rodgers (NY) | Jorge Perlaza (POR) |
| Tom Timmermann | Luke Rodgers (NY) | Kalif Alhassan (POR) |
| Shawn Mitchell | Luke Rodgers (NY) | Chris Pontius (DC) |
| Grant Wahl | Luke Rodgers (NY) | Chris Pontius (DC) |
| Steven Sandor | Chris Pontius (DC) | Luke Rodgers (NY) |
| Sean Donahue | Chris Pontius (DC) | Kalif Alhassan (POR) |
| Bobby McMahon | Chris Pontius (DC) | Kalif Alhassan (POR) |
| Jamie Trecker | Chris Pontius (DC) | Thierry Henry (NY) |
| Michael C. Lewis | Kalif Alhassan (POR) | Luke Rodgers (NY) |
| Jonah Freedman | Kalif Alhassan (POR) | Luke Rodgers (NY) |
| Kyle McCarthy | Kalif Alhassan (POR) | Luke Rodgers (NY) |
| Beau Dure | Kalif Alhassan (POR) | Chris Pontius (DC) |
| Geoffrey Arnold | Jorge Perlaza (POR) | |
| Don Ruiz | Jorge Perlaza (POR) | Thierry Henry (NY) |
| Brian Balboa | Jorge Perlaza (POR) | Jack Jewsbury (POR) |
| Shaun Schafer | Omar Gonzalez (LA) | Jack Jewsbury (POR) |
| Jonathan Tannenwald | Rodney Wallace (POR) | Luke Rodgers (NY) |
| Scott French | Thierry Henry (NY) | Jack Jewsbury (POR) |
| Steve Clare | Jamison Olave (RSL) | Rodney Wallace (POR) |
Previous 2011 PotW Winners:
Week 4 Winner: David Ferreira (FC Dallas)
Week 3 Winner: Camilo (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Week 2 Winner: Javier Morales (RSL)
Week 1 Winner: Omar Bravo (SKC)
