David Villa is rounding into form at just the right time.
After failing to score in his last three league matches, the New York City FC star broke out with a brace on Saturday, scoring the 50th and 51st goals of his MLS career to power NYCFC to a 2-1 home win against the Seattle Sounders.
On Tuesday, the league announced that the Spanish legend was voted Alcatel MLS Player of the Week for Week 16 by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for his performance. He’ll look to build on his brace – and his award – on Saturday, when NYCFC travel across the Hudson to take on the rival New York Red Bulls in Heineken Rivalry Week action (1:30 pm ET | FOX and FOX Deportes in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada).
Villa drew NYCFC level at 1-1 in the 52nd minute on Saturday, coolly placing a penalty kick down the middle for his 50th career MLS goal. The strike made Villa the fifth-fastest player in MLS history to reach the half-century mark, with the striker accomplishing the feat in his 78th regular season appearance.
Villa bagged the winner for NYCFC in the 77th, getting on the end of a Jack Harrison cross and volleying home from six yards to give the hosts their 2-1 lead.
The brace marked Villa’s 13th career multi-goal game for NYCFC, the most in MLS over that span. The reigning MLS MVP is now tied for second in the MLS Golden Boot standings with 10 goals and leads the league in combined goals and assists with 16 in 15 matches.
Entering Saturday’s match at the Red Bulls, NYCFC sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with an 8-5-3 record.
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
