After tagging D.C. United for a hat trick for the second time this season, Philadelphia Union forward Julián Carranza has taken home his second MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire award of 2022.
The 22-year-old Argentine was Week 26’s “smart choice” after also adding an assist in Philly’s 6-0 win at Audi Field, making him the first MLS player to take home POTW honors twice in 2022. Remarkably, the first time also came against D.C. United in Week 19, when he scored a hat trick to power a 7-0 victory at Subaru Park.
With Philadelphia up 2-0 after goals from Mikael Uhre and Daniel Gazdag, Carranza scored his first goal of the match in the 47th minute, later completing the hat trick with a quick pair of additional strikes in the 70th and 74th minutes.
The dominant effort continues a strong individual season for Carranza, who has set a career-high with 12 goals and seven assists in 24 matches (22 starts) since joining from Inter Miami CF, first on loan before a permanent transfer.
The Young Designated Player's form has aided Philadelphia's ascent into the Supporters' Shield race, where their 51 points are six off the pace of league-leading LAFC, and are enough to have them five points clear of CF Montréal atop the Eastern Conference table.
Carranza and the Union will return to action Saturday when hosting the Colorado Rapids in a cross-conference showdown at Subaru Park (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+).
The MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire 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.
