After scoring the first hat trick in Inter Miami CF history to spark a much-needed 3-2 victory over the New England Revolution, Leonardo Campana has been tabbed with MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire honors for Week 6 of the 2022 season.
The Ecuadorian U22 Initiative forward was the easy pick as this week's "smart choice," striking for goals in the 17th and 23rd minutes before adding an 88th-minute game-winner to snap a five-game winless start for head coach Phil Neville's team.
The match got off to an inauspicious start for Miami when New England's Justin Rennicks scored an 11th-minute opener. But Campana took over from there while starting in place of Gonzalo Higuain (knee), striking for both the equalizer and the go-ahead goal in a six-minute span.
After Revs star Carles Gil pulled it back level with a 67th-minute penalty kick, Campana came up huge just before the final whistle, pouncing on the rebound and toe-poking home the game-winner after New England goalkeeper Brad Knighton fumbled a cross from midfield substitute Bryce Duke.
Campana is in his first season with the South Florida side, having joined on a season-long loan from English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers over the offseason. The hat trick gives him four goals in 325 minutes across six appearances (four starts) to begin his MLS tenure, making a strong case for continued minutes as he chases a Qatar 2022 World Cup roster spot with Ecuador, which have capped him 10 times.
Inter Miami return to action in Week 7 when facing Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday evening at Lumen Field (10 pm ET | FS1, FOX 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.
