TEAM OF THE WEEK | Fall Season Week 9

Fort Lauderdale Strikers forward Stefano Pinho, Atlanta Silverbacks midfielder Junior Burgos, and New York Cosmos forward Raúl provided pivotal moments as their sides picked up another crucial three points. With strong performances – and goals – they earned places on the latest Team of the Week.

Find out who else provided top performances in Week 9 below:

GK: Daniel Fernandes (San Antonio Scorpions) – The Portuguese international has entrenched himself as the club’s No. 1 goalkeeper and has consecutive shutouts after blanking Jacksonville Armada FC. The shot stopper made eight saves in a 0-0 draw.

DEF: Tamika Mkandawire (Tampa Bay Rowdies) –With his team trailing by a goal, the center back started the Rowdies’ comeback. The Malawi native scored in the first half and then helped hold off Ottawa Fury FC as Tampa Bay secured a late equalizer in a 2-2 draw.

DEF: Rauwshan McKenzie (Atlanta Silverbacks) – Constantly at the heart of the Atlanta defense – playing every minute of the season so far – the Illinois native marshaled another strong defensive performance from the Silverbacks as Atlanta kept FC Edmonton off the score sheet in a 1-0 win.

DEF: Fabricio Ortiz (Jacksonville Armada FC) – After waiting out a weather delay, Jacksonville played a hard fought match against the Scorpions. While neither side could find a winner, it was down to defensive performances. Ortiz, an Argentine defender, helped limit an imposing Scorpions attack in the scoreless draw.

MID: Junior Burgos (Atlanta Silverbacks) – Always dangerous from dead-ball situations, Burgos once again provided magic from a set piece. Locked in a 0-0 deadlock against the Eddies, the Salvadorean international struck from a free kick late in the match for an important winner.

MID: Andrés Flores (New York Cosmos) – Seeing more and more time in the heart of the Cosmos’ midfield, Flores has excelled. He was the beneficiary of a well-rehearsed set piece, scoring early in the 3-2 win over the RailHawks, and he was a constant attacking threat throughout the match.

MID: Marlon Freitas (Fort Lauderdale Strikers) – The Strikers’ attack ran rampant and Freitas provided some class goals – both from distance – in a 7-1 win over Indy Eleven. The Brazilian linked up with his countrymen – PC and Stefano Pinho – well and showed maturity on the feed to Pinho as the forward collected a hat trick.

MID: PC (Fort Lauderdale Strikers) – The Brazilian midfielder scored twice against Indy. First scoring from a well-placed penalty kick, PC then scored with a header late in the match to round out the big victory.

FWD: Oliver (Ottawa Fury FC) – It’s been a tough campaign for the Brazilian forward, but he netted his first goal of the year. He gave Fury FC a two-goal advantage over the Rowdies before Tampa Bay fought back in a 2-2 draw.

FWD: Stefano Pinho (Fort Lauderdale Strikers) – The Brazil native has found his goalscoring form with six in his last three games. His latest was a hat trick against Indy Eleven, also adding an assist on the Strikers’ seventh goal of the match.

FWD: Raúl (New York Cosmos) – The Spanish star picked out Andrés Flores for an assist early in the match and constantly tested the RailHawks’ back line. Raúl eventually found the back of the net, converting from the penalty spot, in a match the Cosmos went on to win.