All five nominees had a very real chance of winning the Week 17 edition of AT&T Goal of the Week, one of the tightest, most evenly-balanced contests in modern GOTW history.
Would it be D.C. United’s global megastar Wayne Rooney, who went viral – again – with an ultra-long-distance strike from well inside his own half against Orlando City?
Perhaps the contender from Justin Meram, the latest in a long string of Atlanta United entries that benefit from the loyal voting of dedicated Five Stripes fans? Or maybe it's Hassani Dotson, the Minnesota United rookie who’s been rapidly winning the hearts of Loons fans?
Nope.
The Week 17 winner is an unexpected one, a name from the great white north probably not yet familiar to casual MLS watchers, but a highly deserving GOTW hero just the same.
Montreal Impact striker Orji Okwonkwo took the prize, as his swiveling one-time blast into the top corner on June 26 vs. Portland – the second of the Nigerian's two goals in l’Impact’s 2-1 win – edged out Dotson’s long-range howitzer by a mere two percentage points, with 23% of the ballots.
Rooney’s midfield dazzler came in third, just a point back of Dotson, followed closely by Meram at 18% – and even fifth-place finisher Vako of the San Jose Earthquakes had a real shot at 18%.
Watch all five nominated goals and see a full voting breakdown from Week 17.
