Fresh off back-to-back road wins featuring hat tricks in both, an LAFC player is once again MLS Player of the Week, as forward Diego Rossi took home the award for Week 6 of the 2019 MLS regular season following his three-goal performance in a 4-0 win over D.C. United.
Rossi took his first goal at Audi Field in the 27th minute, as Carlos Vela's outside-of-the-boot trivela pass was poked in by the Uruguayan. Five minutes later, Rossi added his second, a beautiful curling shot with his right foot to stun United and their fans.
He completed the hat trick in the 76th minute, as a good buildup by LAFC was finished by the forward, hitting a sharp diagonal shot in the box to make it 4-0 on the day.
The victory ensured LAFC (5-0-1) maintained hold atop the Supporters' Shield standings. Black & Gold players have taken Player of the Week honors three of six weeks so far this season, with Vela (Weeks 2 and 5) the other player selected. Rossi now has six goals and one assist in six appearances this season, putting him in second — behind Vela — in the race for the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi.
After the match, Rossi emphasized the collective goal over his personal exploits.
"We started this season working hard to win this league," he told reporters, after the match against D.C. had been billed as a possible MLS Cup preview.
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.
