Charlotte FC have gone back-to-back.
One week after Karol Swiderski took home MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire honors, forward Daniel Ríos has earned the same award following a four-goal showing in Week 33.
Ríos scored all four goals in Charlotte’s 4-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union, preventing the Eastern Conference leaders from staying in Supporters’ Shield contention and keeping their own Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs hopes ticking.
The 27-year-old Mexican, acquired in an early-season trade from Nashville SC, is the 13th different player in MLS history to score at least four goals in a single game. Ríos’ four-goal performance was the first by a player on an expansion team in their inaugural season in MLS history, and his six goals on the season are the second most by a Charlotte player (Swiderski, 10).
With their win over Philadelphia, Charlotte become the third expansion team since 2005 to win double-digit games at home in their first season (Atlanta United in 2017 and CF Montréal in 2012). The Crown are just the third expansion team, excluding the shootout era, to win at least 13 games in their inaugural season (Atlanta United and LAFC). Additionally, Charlotte’s 41 points are the most by an expansion team since LAFC’s 57 in 2018.
Charlotte, ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, have two games remaining to possibly clinch a playoff berth, the first of which will reconvene after a weather-forced postponement:
- Charlotte vs. Columbus Crew on Wednesday, Oct. 5 (7:00 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
- Charlotte at New York Red Bulls on Sunday, Oct. 9 (2:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
The MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire 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.
