A historic performance from LA Galaxy forward Dejan Joveljić has deservingly earned him MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire honors for Week 14 of the 2022 season.
Joveljić turned LA’s 4-1 win over Austin FC on its head this past Sunday, subbing on in the 57th minute to supply two goals and two assists at Dignity Health Sports Park. That made him the first player in MLS history to contribute to four goals as a substitute in a single match, his production occurring across a 29-minute span.
The 22-year-old Serbian international’s assists were of the stunning variety, laying off a backheel pass for Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and launching a bicycle kick through-ball to Efrain Alvarez. In between, he twice beat Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver in cheeky fashion.
Joveljić's star showing only strengthened calls for a starting role alongside Chicharito in a two-striker setup. Head coach Greg Vanney is entertaining as much, too.
A U22 Initiative signing from German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, he’s now notched three braces across all competitions for the Galaxy. He’s got 5g/4a in roughly 950 MLS minutes (26 appearances; 7 starts), having joined last August.
With his performance, Joveljić helped the Galaxy score four goals in a game for the first time since July 30, 2021. Additionally, Joveljić became just the fifth Galaxy player since 2010 to post at least four goal contributions in a match, joining Zlatan Ibrahimović, Giovani dos Santos, Robbie Keane (three times) and Landon Donovan (three times).
Joveljić and the Galaxy return to action June 18 when hosting the Portland Timbers (5 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes) following the international break. They sit fifth in the Western Conference standings.
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.
