Rate the U: Jamiro Monteiro gets player of the week nod

Kacper Przybylko got a lot of the attention for scoring goals in each game but Jamiro Monteiro edged out the Polish striker by only two votes in our combined Community Player Rating polls from the Vancouver Whitecaps and FC Cincinnati matches.

Monteiro was a disruptive force in both games and it was his pressure that led to a poor back pass that Przybylko was able to catch up to and deposit in the back of the net to level the score in Vancouver. Monteiro didn’t finish with the highest rating in either match poll but had enough to top out the combined poll. Ilsinho received the highest average rating between the two games, but wasn’t the player of the week because he didn’t play in both games.

Kacper received the highest average rating in the FC Cincinnati match, which makes sense because he was seemingly everywhere creating chances and forcing goalkeeper Spencer Richey into some fine saves, including one on a shot tattooed from distance and another on a header.

Goalkeeper Matt Freese received the highest total votes from the Vancouver game, which was his first MLS start. He made four saves in the match and was not at fault for the Whitecaps goal on a free header from a corner kick. Ilsinho had the highest average rating

Monteiro is the seventh Union player to be voted player of the week in our Community Player Rating Poll. He joins Andre Blake, Kai Wagner (2), Alejandro Bedoya (2), Brenden Aaronson, David Accam and Jack Elliott.

Matthew Ralph

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now. He's covered soccer at all levels for a decade in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

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