Make that two straight MLS Team of the Week nods for Sporting Kansas City striker Alan Pulido.
After scoring twice in a 3-0 home win over Vancouver on May 16, Pulido carried his sizzling form into Saturday by scoring from long range and recording an assist to spark Sporting's 3-1 away victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night. By doing so, the 30-year-old Mexican international has again stamped his name on the MLS Team of the Week presented by Audi.
MLS Team of the Week presented by Audi (Week 7)
- Goalkeeper: Andre Blake (PHI)
- Defenders: Josecarlos Van Rankin (POR), Geoff Cameron (CIN), Antonio Carlos (ORL), Ryan Hollingshead (DAL)
- Midfielders: Lucas Zelarayan (CLB), Memo Rodriguez (HOU), Diego Rossi (LAFC)
- Forwards: Alan Pulido (SKC), Gustavo Bou (NE), Felipe Mora (POR)
Pulido was at his rampant best this weekend, breaking a 1-1 tie in the 60th minute with a world-class strike from outside of the box. His stunner is one of four nominees for the AT&T MLS Goal of the Week, with fan voting open at @MLS on Twitter and in the poll below. He also assisted Jaylin Lindsey's first professional goal in the 15th minute as Sporting overcame an early deficit to secure their MLS-best third comeback win this season.
Pulido, whose eight shots on Saturday were the second-most by a player in an MLS match this season, leads MLS during the month of May with four goals and 25 shot attempts. His influential performances have helped Sporting vault to second place in the Western Conference, four points behind leaders Seattle Sounders FC.
Perhaps more impressively, Pulido ranks first in MLS since the start of 2020 with 0.99 goals (10) and primary assists (six) per 90 minutes. Thanks in part to his consistent attacking efficiency, Sporting has stayed at or near the top of the West for the better part of 15 months.
Sporting (4-2-1, 13 points) will battle for a third straight victory on Saturday when they host Houston (3-2-2, 11 points) in the first full-capacity match at Children's Mercy Park since March 7, 2020. Tickets for the highly anticipated showdown are available at SeatGeek.com and fans watching from home can catch the action live on Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, BallySports.com, the Bally Sports app, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
